• Species: Sepia esculenta (golden cuttlefish), wild-caught cephalopod; catalog default
• Form: whole, gutted / cleaned; bone-in (with cuttlebone) or boneless per order
• Size grade by count: typically 10–20 / 20–40 / 40–60 pieces per kg
• Freezing: IQF single-frozen or BQF 10 kg block; glaze 5–20%
• Pack: 10 kg carton, poly-lined; master carton + pallet options
• Origin: wild capture, Northeast Asian (FAO 61) and Northwest Pacific grounds
• Natural umami-rich, mild sweet meat; cuttlebone soft and edible in small sizes

• Foodservice: stir-fry, braise, grill, hotpot, and prepared seafood mixes
• Retail: frozen whole packs, Asian grocery and wet-market frozen sections
• Further processing: boneless strips for salad / sashimi-style, stuffed cuttlefish
• Soup and broth bases; processed cuttlefish ball / cake lines
• Cuttlebone retained: traditional dishes where soft bone is consumed

• MSC applicable for wild-capture supply from certified fisheries (chain-of-custody supported).

• ASC / BAP / GLOBALG.A.P. do not apply — cuttlefish are wild-caught; these schemes cover farmed species only.

• HACCP, ISO 22000, and EU/US import documentation supported on request.

• Species and catch-origin documented to prevent substitution (see FAQ).

• Keep at -18°C or below; stable 12–18 months under recommended cold chain.
• BQF blocks: do not refreeze after thaw; IQF allows partial withdrawal without full-block thaw.
• Glaze protects against freezer burn and oxidation of the cuttlebone edge.
• Reefer container (±0°C ambient) recommended for long-haul sea freight.

Is baby cuttlefish a squid or octopus? A. It is a cuttlefish — order Sepiida, family Sepiidae, with a broad internal cuttlebone. Squid (order Teuthida) have a thin feather-shaped shell and longer bodies; octopus (order Octopoda) has no shell and eight arms only. Confirm the label names Sepia (cuttlefish), not squid or octopus, to avoid substitution.

Q2. What HS code applies to frozen baby cuttlefish? A. Freeze whole or cleaned cuttlefish falls under HS 0307.42 (frozen cuttlefish). This is different from squid at 0307.43 — mislabeling the two is a common classification error. Breaded or pre-cooked cuttlefish moves to prepared-product codes (e.g. 1605.54).

Q3. Can this product be MSC certified? A. Yes when sourced from an MSC-certified fishery; wild cuttlefish can carry MSC. It cannot carry ASC/BAP/GLOBALG.A.P., which are farming standards — cuttlefish are not farmed at commercial scale.

Q4. Bone-in or boneless — which should I order? A. Bone-in (with cuttlebone) is the standard for baby sizes; the soft bone is edible and easy to remove. Choose boneless if your process needs ready-to-cook meat or higher yield reporting. Note boneless raises processing cost and lowers packed yield versus bone-in.

Q5. How is the size grade expressed? A. By pieces per kg (e.g. 20–40 pcs/kg), not by length alone. Smaller count-per-kg = larger animals and higher price. Confirm the count band on the commercial invoice to match specs.