Meat&Poultry - February 2011 - 19

NUTRITION LABELING

they may be very surprised at the gap once they can conveniently compare calories and fat content. “It’s not unlikely that some will start seeking out leaner meats on a more regular basis as a result,” Browne adds. This is especially relevant since the USDA released its 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans Jan. 31. Meat and beans are the only food g roups A mer ica ns consu me i n amounts that fall within the guidelines. The labels will help consumers make good choices, and the guidelines will provide direction on how much to consume. Janet Riley, AMI vice president of public affairs, says

are going to meet those government guidelines specifically for lean.” McNeill adds that when making calorie comparisons, consumers should be aware that some protein foods have fewer calories. For example, beef has 10 essential nutrients that humans require in only 150 calories. It would take double the amount of calories of some plant proteins, such as nuts, to get the same protein from lean beef. Nutrition labels on meat products are not new; the industry has voluntarily labeled many items. The most common meat items that already bear nutrition panels are chicken at 80 percent and turkey at 90 percent, ac-

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the meat and beans category is the only category consumed in the proper amounts. “That comes as a big surprise to a lot of people,” she says. “On average, men are eating 6.9 oz. and women are eating 4.4 oz. so women are slightly under-consuming and men are within the range.” The USDA recommends a minimum 5.5 oz. to 6.5 oz. for men and 5 to 5.5 oz. for women. The new dietary guidelines also recommend replacing some meat protein with fish or seafood. “Eating seafood doesn’t mean cutting back on beef,” says Shalene McNeill, Ph.d, R.D., executive director for Human Nutrition Research for NCBA. “Both of them are nutrientrich foods and it just doesn’t make sense to take one nutrient-rich food and replace it with another.” Nineteen of the top 25 most popular cuts of beef at retail are lean cuts, McNeill says. “There are a lot of options when it comes to looking for lean beef because farmers and ranchers have really met the challenge to produce leaner beef,” she says. “It’s widely available and acceptable now. In fact, there are 29 cuts of beef that cording to the 2010 Meat Case Study. Roughly half of pork items already carry nutrition labels, while one-third of beef cuts and 81 percent of ground beef products have nutrition labels. “It’s not like there were no labels and suddenly there are going to be labels,” Riley says. “It’s going to be more of an evolution.” Meat industry representatives say the labels provide an opportunity for consumers to get factual information about meat products and how those products can contribute to a nutrient-rich diet. It also is an opportunity for the industry to help dispel myths about meat products. “If they’re going to be surprised at anything, consumers are going to be surprised at how many cuts are actually low-fat,” Russell says. “They’ve been told for 30 years that it’s full of fat, saturated fat is bad. I think they’re going to be surprised at how many cuts are actually low-fat and how low in fat they are.” ■
Erica Shaffer is Internet Editor with Meat&Poultry’s parent company, Sosland Publishing Co. We would like to hear from you – to comment on this story or to request reprints, contact us by e-mail at meatpoultry@sosland.com.

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Meat&Poultry - February 2011

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