Meat + Poultry - September 2004 - 8

MEAt
Getting the message out

he nation's nutrition message needs to be communicated. As the U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion mulls changes to the Food
Guide Pyramid and its overall nutrition message, meat and poultry processors have
an opportunity to lead by example.
Too often nutrition information is broken down into good foods and bad foods. Whether a
food is defined as good or bad often depends on the latest fad diets or scientific research,
whether it is valid research or pseudo-science.
While the high protein, low-carbohydrate trend has been good for the meat and poultry industry it does not represent the kind of message the industry should be communicating. The
message food processors should be communicating to consumers is one of moderation.
Moderation is the basic premise of the 2005 report of the Dietary Guidelines Committee,
a group of nutrition and health professionals appointed by the Dept. of Health and Human
Services and U.S.D.A. According to the report, consumption of foods from each of the basic
food groups is essential for meeting nutrient intake requirements.
The committee concluded that consumption of total fat should be 20 percent to 35 percent of calories with saturated fat kept at or below 10 percent. A trans fatty acid recommendation for consumption "below about 1 percent of calories" is a new addition to the recommendations. The report provides the following as key scientific findings:
*
Consume a variety of foods within and among the basic food groups while staying
within energy needs.
*
Control calorie intake to manage body weight.
*
Be physically active every day.
*
Increase daily intake of fruits and vegetables, whole grains and non-fat or low-fat
milk and milk products.
*
Choose fats wisely for good health.
*
Choose carbohydrates wisely for good health.
*
Choose and prepare foods with little salt.
*
Keep food safe to eat.
I recently spent a few hours one afternoon looking through the meat cases of my local supermarkets. I could tell how the meat case has changed - the array of branded, fully cooked
products is startling compared to a decade ago - but there was very little nutrition information available beyond the government-mandated nutrition labels.
It is an undeniable fact that meat and poultry play a vital role in a healthy diet. Yet there
seems to be little effort by most companies at the point of purchase to capitalize on their product's positive attributes. In my opinion, every time consumers enter their local grocery store
and step up to the meat case they should be reminded of meat's nutritional attributes.
Most Americans are familiar with the Food Guide Pyramid, according to C.N.P.P., but
few follow its recommendations. The purpose for developing a new consumer presentation is to motivate consumers to put the food intake patterns into practice and improve
their food choices.
To accomplish this C.N.P.P. plans to develop and implement a system that includes focused messages and individualized educational tools. Agency officials envision a message
that will be delivered through multiple channels - through print, the Internet, etc. - and
that connect with individuals and can be tailored to their needs.
The goals of the revised system are to increase consumer awareness of the availability of
science-based nutrition guidance, encourage consumers to make positive changes in their
food choices and to educate consumers about food choices and amounts to eat.
This is not something that should be left up to C.N.P.P. Each day millions of Americans step
up to the meat case and by your products. You have an unprecedented opportunity to present
your products in a positive way and further the nation's nutrition message. Capitalizing on this
opportunity will be beneficial for your company and your customers in the long run.
- Keith Nunes, Senior Editor
knunes@sosland.com

MEAT&POULTRY

www.MEATPOULTRY.com

ULIRY

EDITORIAL STAFF
Senior Editor
Keith Nunes
Managing Editor
Joel Crews
Contributing Editors
Richard Alaniz
Larry Aylward
Jeff Chilton
Dr. Temple Grandin
Steve Kay
Leo Quigley
Robert Savage
Richard Stier
Director of Research
Marjorie Troxel Hellmer
PUBLISHING STAFF
Chairman and Group Publisher
Charles S. Sosland
Vice-Chairman
L. Joshua Sosland
President, Publishing Director
Mark Sabo
Publisher
Chuck Jolley
Publisher Emeritus
Mike Alaimo
BUSINESS/PRODUCTION STAFF
Director of Manufacturing
Vance Spearman
Director of Circulation
Gwendolyn Cogshell
Circulation Manager
Sheryl Morrow
Vice-President & Chief Financial Officer
Melanie Hepperly
Design Services Manager
Sadowna McClun
Editorial Designer
Nicole Burkhart
Advertising Design/Trafficking
Becky White
Digital Systems Analyst
Marj Potts
Assistant Advertising Materials Coordinator
Maren Hamon
4800 Main St., Suite 100,
Kansas City, Mo. 64112
Phone: (816) 756-1000 * Fax: (816) 756-0494
E-mail - Sales: cjolley@sosland.com
E-mail - Editorial: knunes@sosland.com
Internet Address
www.MEATPOULTRY.com
Address editorial correspondence to: Editor,
MEAT&POULTRY, 4800 Main St., Ste. 100, Kansas
City, MO 64112. Letters via e-mail can be sent to
meat&poultry@sosland.com. Letters may also be sent
via fax to (816) 756-0494. The Editor reserves the right
to edit letters for length, content and clarity.
Requests for reprints of articles should be sent to
reprints@sosland.com or call Carrie Land
at (816) 756-1000.
Sosland Publishing Co.,
a division of Sosland Companies, Inc.
SEPTEMBER 2004

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Meat + Poultry - September 2004

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