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The beef sector in Israel is growing and is heavily reliant upon imports. Israel’s lack of grazing land for cattle and an increasing population are the main factors contributing to the growth in demand for beef imports.

On August 13, the Hong Kong Centre for Food Safety (CFS) confirmed to ATO Hong Kong that effective February 14, 2025, the Special Autonomous Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) will transition from a “systems-based” approach to recognizing foreign meat and poultry establishments to an “establishment or plant-based” registration system.

Hong Kong classifies ground meat as prohibited meat under its food legislation. Importers are required to secure a permit from Hong Kong authorities to allow the entry of U.S. meat shipments prior to arrival at Hong Kong’s port.

In January 2024, the Israeli Ministry of Health’s National Food Services found that cultivated beef is “safe for human consumption.”

Israel's chief rabbi affirms cultivated steak is kosher, which means it is permitted for consumption by Jews under religious law. This ruling opens the door for companies producing cultivated meat directly from laboratory grown cells to receive a kosher certification.

U.S. beef exports to East Asia in 2022 are again on record pace after a record year in 2021. Despite economic uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic, continued global supply chain challenges, and a competitive global beef market, U.S. beef exports to East Asia, both in value and volume, were outstanding in the first half of 2022.