Decreased red meat fat consumption in New Zealand: 1995-2002

To review New Zealand red meat and meat fat supply trends before and after the introduction of the Quality Mark standard.

Review of trends in: per capita meat fat supply estimates from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); carcase and meat cut composition reports of knife dissection and chemical analyses; the fate of fat trim; and a Lincoln College study of home-cooked and trimmed beef. Intervention From September 1997, the red meat industry's Quality Mark required trimming of beef and lamb cuts to no more than 5 mm external fat.

(1) Trimming of fat from red meat before sale (supported by virtually all butchers) decreased the fat and saturated fat content of a red meat carcase by 30% (beef, -27%; lamb, -30%; tallow unchanged); by -8% in the total food supply; and by -17% across all meat. In 2002, fat comprised 7.4% of trimmed beef cuts, and 11.2% of all beef sold: cuts, mince, or sausages. In 2002, fat comprised 15.3% of lamb cuts; and 15.5% with mince included. (2) From 1995 to 2002, total saturated fat availability per capita in the food supply decreased by 19% (from 65 g to 53 g per day), mostly due to 7 g less saturated fat daily from red meat. (3) When combining effects (1) and (2), saturated fat per capita decreased: -27% in total food supply; -65% in red meat excluding tallow; -48% in red meat including tallow. In 1995 (without trimming), red meat contributed 25% of saturated fat in the total food supply whereas in 2002, red meat contributed 19% before (and 13% after) trimming. (4) Home trimming may remove an additional 27% of fat from beef steaks.

Centralised meat processing, and Quality Mark labelling since 1997, ensured fat was trimmed from beef and lamb cuts, and reduced saturated fat in red meats by 30%. In 2002, mince and sausages accounted for nearly half of beef fat sold as red meat.