Hokkaido-produced lean beef "Kitanoshikaraushi" launched with new branding, focusing on domestic feed and cattle health.

Seikatsu Club Consumers' Co-operative Union (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Chairman: Shoichi Murakami) has rebranded Hokkaido-produced lean beef from its partner producer, Hokkaido Chikuren Agricultural Cooperative Federation, under the new name "Kitanoshikaraushi" to expand its use and recognition. Concurrently, a recipe contest "Minna no Uchi kara Chikarauchi" for Seikatsu Club members will run until June 30, 2026. The beef is sourced from male Holstein (dairy breed) calves raised by fattening farmers in Hokkaido. They are fed a balanced diet of roughage and concentrated feed, resulting in healthy lean meat with good texture and flavor, rather than marbled (sashi) beef. The branding aims to encourage daily consumption of this beef and support sustainable domestic production. Key features of "Kitanoshikaraushi" include: 1. Delicious lean beef: Raised primarily on roughage like pasture grass and 100% Hokkaido-produced feed rice, with careful selection of corn to prevent GMO contamination. No antibiotics are used after 10 months of age. 2. Male dairy calves used for beef: Male calves from dairy cows are raised as beef cattle, valuing all life. 3. Hokkaido-produced feed: Roughage and feed rice are 100% Hokkaido-produced, often cultivated by the producers themselves. The recipe contest encourages members to submit "everyday use" recipes for Kitanoshikaraushi. Submitted recipes will be voted on by Seikatsu Club members, with three top recipes selected, plus a Chikuren Award. Four winners will receive a "Beef Variety Set." These four winning recipes will be professionally reproduced, photographed, and registered as official Seikatsu Club recipes, to be featured in catalogs and on the "Biosapo Recipe Site," and potentially in recipe books. The application deadline is June 30, 2026, with award announcements around November 2026.