Date Published: 3 March 2008

Irish adults eating the wrong quantities of beef (safefood, Eire)

safefood, the Food Safety Promotion Board - in the Irish language, An Bord um Chur Chun Cinn Sabháilteachta Bia - is an implementation body. Food safety policies are underpinned by comprehensive access to current, accurate, high quality scientific information, and to adequate means for the analysis and interpretation of such data.

safefood review of the Beef food chain reveals imbalance in consumption by men and women across the island.

A review? of the beef food chain on the island of Ireland has revealed that men are eating too much beef and that women are eating too little. The review undertaken by safefood also highlights that consumers have enhanced confidence in the beef food chain on the island and the industry enforcement controls that are in place.

Martin Higgins, Chief Executive, safefood commented: “ This review highlights that while beef remains extremely popular and that three out of four people? on the island eat it regularly, the average portion size consumed during a meal is 121g with men consuming more than women. This intake far exceeds health professional recommendations of 57g in a single portion of lean, red meat, or ideally a quarter of your dinner plate. Furthermore, our review reveals that young women and children could benefit from including more beef in their diet as it is an excellent source of iron and can help with boosting low iron levels”.

Dr. Cliodhna Foley Nolan, Director, Human Health & Nutrition, safefood added, “ Consumers, particularly men, with high consumption levels of beef are less likely to include the other elements essential to a balanced diet and are more at risk of developing cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Reducing beef intake to recommended levels and enjoying fresh, leaner cuts of meat instead of processed varieties like burgers can help with their long-term health”.

“ For women and children, including more beef in their diets is advised as research shows many have iron intakes below recommended levels - three out of four teenage girls³ don’t have sufficient iron levels in their diet. Beef is an excellent source of iron, easily absorbed by our bodies and very palatable”, continued Dr. Foley-Nolan.

With research indicating that children consume most of their meat as processed varieties, choosing fresh, leaner cuts as part of a balanced diet can also help with children’s long-term health.

“ At the moment, too much of children’s meat consumption is from processed varieties which are higher in salt and fat and lower in nutrients when compared to lean red meat. Whether it’s a beef stir fry with vegetables or a bolognaise with peppers and pasta, including more lean meat varieties in children’s diets can help with lowering their intake of salt and saturated fat while also increasing their consumption of vegetables at the same time”, she added.

This review is the latest in a series by safefood which examines how food is produced, processed, sold and consumed on the island of Ireland and includes research into consumers’ awareness and perceptions of nutrition and food safety issues surrounding beef. Previous reviews have looked at the chicken, finfish and fruit and vegetable food chains.

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