The rarest steak in the world can cost over $300. Here’s why wagyu beef is so expensive.

The rarest steak in the world can cost over $300. Here’s why wagyu beef is so expensive.

Wagyu beef from Japan is the most prized beef in the world. 

High-grade wagyu can cost up to $200 per pound. The rarest steak in the world, olive wagyu, can cost anywhere from $120 to over $300 for a steak.

Wagyu calves can be 40 times the price of US cattle. The adult cows can sell for as much as $30,000. 

In 2013, Japan exported 5 billion yen worth of wagyu. Last year, exports hit 24.7 billion yen.

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Following is a transcript of the video.

Narrator: This is wagyu beef, one of the most expensive meats in the world. Produced in Japan and prized for its rich marbling and buttery taste, high-grade wagyu can cost up to $200 per pound, and the cows themselves can sell for as much as $30,000. But what is it that makes the meat so expensive?

The term wagyu literally translates to Japanese cow. And it generally refers to four main breeds. These cows were bred for physical endurance, giving them more intramuscular fat cells. The fat is distributed more evenly throughout their muscle, which is why wagyu beef looks pink and tastes so tender. And the Japanese government tightly regulates wagyu production