• Wild-caught cuttlefish head — Sepia spp. (commonly Sepia pharaonis), marine cephalopod
• Salt-polished — tumbled with salt to clean, whiten and brighten the surface
• Three-trimmed — neck removed, eyes removed, beak / teeth removed; ready to cook
• Graded 200–300 / 300–500 / 500–700 g per piece
• Block-frozen (BQF), 10 kg blocks; glaze to customer specification (0–20%)
• White, firm, elastic flesh; mild cephalopod flavor for versatile prep
• Wild supply — MSC-applicable; ASC / BAP / GLOBALG.A.P. NOT applicable
• Strong frozen shelf life when held at unbroken −18 °C
• Target markets: Thailand, Malaysia (HALAL supply available)

• Thai cuisine: stir-fries, curries, salads, grilled or blanched head preparations
• Malaysian cuisine: sambal, soups, noodle toppings, street-food skewers
• Foodservice and wet-market retail as a cleaned, portion-ready cuttlefish cut
• Further processing into cuttlefish-ball / cake lines and prepared packs
• Institutional and catering supply where consistent weight grades matter

• MSC — applicable (cuttlefish are wild-caught; confirm the specific fishery certificate for the batch)
• ASC / BAP / GLOBALG.A.P. — NOT applicable (these are aquaculture standards; cuttlefish are not farmed at commercial scale)
• HACCP / BRC / IFS / ISO 22000 — food-safety management systems for processing
• HALAL / KOSHER — available on request (HALAL strongly recommended for Malaysia / Thailand Muslim channels)
• FDA registration and EU approval available on request

Store at −18 °C or below under an unbroken cold chain. Typical frozen shelf life 18–24 months for a glazed block-frozen cephalopod held continuously frozen (shorter if unglazed or if temperature fluctuates). Keep frozen until use; thaw under refrigeration and cook thoroughly. Do not refreeze after thawing.

Q1. Is this a squid or octopus, and how do I avoid species substitution? A. This is cuttlefish — genus Sepia (order Sepiida, family Sepiidae), identifiable by the broad internal cuttlebone. It is not squid (order Teuthida — longer body, thin feather-shaped shell, e.g. Uroteuthis, Loligo) and not octopus (order Octopoda — eight arms, no shell). Cuttlefish and squid both fall under HS 0307.43, but they are different genera with different meat texture and price; fix the Latin name Sepia spp. on the PO and packing list to avoid substitution.

Q2. What HS code applies to frozen cuttlefish head? A. HS 0307.43 (frozen squid and cuttlefish) at the 6-digit level; the China 10-digit for frozen cuttlefish is 0307431000. Note: 0307.42 is scallops, not cuttlefish — do not confuse the two. If the cuttlefish head is breaded or pre-cooked, it moves to prepared-product codes such as 1605.54. Declare the Latin genus on the customs paperwork.

Q3. Is this farmed or wild, and which sustainability label applies? A. Cuttlefish are wild-caught (aquaculture is not commercial at scale), so the relevant certification is MSC (wild-capture fishery) — confirm the specific fishery certificate for the batch. ASC / BAP / GLOBALG.A.P. do not apply because they are farming standards. State the certification you require on the specification.

Q4. What do "salt polishing" and the "three removals" mean in processing? A. Salt polishing tumbles the head sections with salt to remove surface slime, brighten the natural white color, and improve presentation — a standard cephalopod-dressing step, not a preservative. The "three removals" (san-qu) trim removes the neck joint, the eyes, and the hard beak / teeth, leaving a clean, edible head-and-arms portion with no inedible hard parts. The result is a ready-to-cook cut that still needs the buyer to portion and cook.

Q5. What quality should I expect on arrival and after thawing? A. On arrival the blocks should be solid-frozen with the declared glaze. After thawing, expect: consistent coloration across pieces, intact form with no missing parts, firm, elastic flesh (not mushy or watery), clean surface with no visible foreign matter, and no off-odor. The raw material must show good freshness, white flesh, no spoilage, and no medicine-residue taste. Any sour, ammonia or chemical note is a rejection trigger — request chill-at-landing records and a COA if in doubt.