The spectre of inflation, poverty and general uncertainty may be upon us once again – in the wake of Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ global trade war declaration and the more UK-centric ‘Awful April’.

But at least the meat eaters among us will have more choice when it comes to posh, marbled and juicy wagyu beef steaks.

Premium wagyu steaks in retailers such as Aldi, available for a strictly limited time and sourced from countries such as New Zealand, used to warrant a big PR push from the retailer.

However, as more British producers have come onstream, this once-niche SpecialBuy is increasingly becoming a mainstream, regular choice for shoppers.

As The Grocer reported last year, British wagyu production more than doubled from 2022 to 2023, driven by strong sales in both retail and foodservice.

Figures sourced from the British Cattle Movement Service showed more than 35,000 wagyu-sired calves were born in 2023 – representing a 108% increase on 2022 levels, and a huge 1,378% increase on 2014 levels.

Wagyu beef represented 1.8% of the circa 1.9 million beef-sired calves born in Great Britain annually, the BCMS figures showed.

The great wagyu war

In recognition of this growth, Aldi – which had already been ramping up its commitment to the category in recent years – announced a major investment in British wagyu last week, with a new deal with Warrendale Wagyu, worth about £320m over the next five years.

The “one-of-a-kind” agreement with the UK’s largest wagyu supplier would allow Aldi to grow its in-store wagyu offering, while giving the 800 suppliers in Warrendale’s supply chain greater financial security. Aldi said the move meant it now boasted “the most successful range of British wagyu products offered by any supermarket in the UK, including its multiple award-winning Wagyu Wing Rib, Wagyu Tomahawk and Wagyu Beef Burgers”.

“This is a huge milestone as we gear up to supply Aldi stores nationwide,” said Warrendale founder Jim Bloom, while Aldi CCO Julie Ashfield pointed to how the retailer’s wagyu offering was “incredibly popular with shoppers”.

The product’s popularity coincides with booming sales for beef in general, with NIQ data for The Grocer’s Top Products Survey showing an 8.5% increase in spend on beef last year – as shoppers looked to more restaurant-style meals at home.

And we could now be on the cusp of a wagyu war in the major mults, given Tesco’s launch of its own range of upmarket British Wagyu Finest products “in response to growing demand” – with searches for the term up 87% year on year on Tesco.com.

The range of fillet, sirloin, rump and ribeye steaks offered customers “an unparallelled dining experience with their extraordinary marbling, taste and texture”, said Tesco’s supplier Pickstock. Its head of commercial Matt Lilley said the cattle were “raised with the utmost care and attention to detail, ensuring not only the highest standards of marbling and flavour but also high animal welfare and sustainability credentials”.

Similar British wagyu products are now also available from many UK retailers, ranging from Waitrose to M&S, Sainsbury’s and Asda.

But is the use of the term ‘wagyu’, and the growth in popularity of this type of beef in the UK, just, well… bull?

‘It ain’t really wagyu’

Last year’s BCMS figures show that just 6.2% of the 35,550 wagyu-sired calves born in 2023 were pure-bred wagyu, with the remainder cross-breeds.

But, as the standards of the British Wagyu Breeders Association only stipulate that accredited animals must be sired by a registered fullblood Wagyu bull, this means cattle that has been cross-bred with either dairy-bred or native breed cows can still be called Wagyu.

To some people – echoing previous concerns over whether Aberdeen Angus should be called Aberdeen Angus if it isn’t purebred – this means “it ain’t really wagyu”, suggests one former senior supermarket buyer. They go on to point out that producers who do supply purebred Wagyu, as found in the breed’s native Japan, are becoming increasingly frustrated by what they see as misleading messaging when it comes to provenance.

“It’s like calling English sparkling wine (which is also in strong growth) champagne or any thick cream clotted cream,” they argue, “and it’s misleading”.

But “until the Japanese protect their product in the same way as champagne and so on there’s not much we can do…and they show no sign of that”.

That’s unlikely to change, given how the beef type, which also commands a tidy premium for producers, has grown in popularity, not just in the UK but also in countries such as New Zealand and Australia.

Will UK shoppers care about all of this? The growing popularity of wagyu in UK supermarkets suggests not.

But if this type of beef continues to be a hit, that spotlight on provenance could well become stronger.

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