When a cookbook author recently claimed that America’s collective hankering for
meat has left us with some expensive problems, including human health issues
and environmental degradation, the Pork Checkoff set the record straight.
We want to make sure that people have correct information and understand that
nutrient-rich pork can be an important part of a healthy diet, says Adria Sheil-Brown,
a registered dietitian and manager of nutrition communications and research for
the Pork Checkoff.
At issue is the article Eating Less Meat: Signs of a Growing Trend by Tara
Mataraza Desmond, which appeared in the January 2010 edition of the
International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP)’s Frontburner
e-newsletter. The author stated that meat-heavy diets have been consistently
linked to increased risk of cancer, heart disease, obesity, diabetes and
osteoporosis. She also cited Mark Bittman’s book Food Matters, which claims
that that global livestock production is responsible for about one-fifth of all
greenhouse gasesmore than transportation.
In response to this feature, the Pork Checkoff reached out to Frontburner
editors to share the most current, science-based information on pork and pork
production with IACP, which boasts nearly 3,000 members from more than 32
countries.
IACP is very influential in the food industry, so we were very pleased to get
our letter published in the February Frontburner, says Sheil-Brown, who wrote
that:
The National Pork Board believes that the healthiest diets consist of a
balance of fruits and vegetables as well as nutrient-dense red meata position
consistent with the nutrition recommendations of many health organizations. Red
meat provides many under-consumed nutrients such as potassium, phosphorous and
vitamin B12.
Additionally, vital nutrients such as iron and zinc are more easily absorbed
when they come from meat rather than vegetables. Vitamin B12 is only found in
animal foods.
Consumption data reveals an appropriate actual intake of nutrient-rich meats.
The National Pork Board believes the current dietary guideline of an average of
5.5 ounce equivalents in the meat and beans group (based on a 2,000 calories/day
diet) remains appropriate based on the preponderance of scientific evidence.
Consumption survey analysis shows that despite an average amount of meat and
meat equivalents of 5.3 ounces per day by Americans, only 44 percent of all
individuals two years and older, 62 percent of men 20 years and older, and 37
percent of women 20 years and older, consume at least the minimum recommended
amounts from the meat group. Clearly, Americans are not over-consuming meat,
Sheil-Brown says.
Animal agriculture creates only a small percent of the total greenhouse gas (GHG)
missions in the United States, and pork production contributes an even smaller
percentage. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in
2007, only 2.8 percent of GHG emissions in the U.S. came from animal agriculture
through a process called enteric fermentation (the digestion of feed by ruminant
animals) and through manure management. Further, according to the EPA, pork
production contributed only 0.33 percent of total U.S. emissions.
Livestock-related GHG emissions have declined per unit of production. At the
practical level, every pound of pork produced in the U.S. today has a smaller
carbon footprint compared to 20 years ago, says Sheil-Brown, who notes that
pork producers are determined to lead in carbon-footprint knowledge.
Source:
National Pork Board
