The role of red meat and dairy-derived produce in nutrition and diets is included and highlighted in the new Food Vision 2030 strategy – the government’s new agri-food strategy.
The strategy document highlights that animal sourced foods are nutrient rich and contribute to a large proportion of key nutrients in the diets of children, adolescents and adults in Ireland and elsewhere.
As well as being a source of high-biological value protein, health-promoting micronutrients – including vitamins of various types, calcium, iron, zinc, iodine and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) – are either most efficiently or only included in human diets through moderate consumption of animal-sourced food, the document notes.
High-quality protein intake is important for muscle growth and maintenance. Dairy and meat food sources contribute to over 50% of Irish protein intake.
Meat and dairy also contribute 50% of calcium and 40% of vitamin D intake in children.
Iodine is crucial at all stages of life but is imperative during pregnancy and early childhood for fetal brain development and neurodevelopment. Milk contributes 45% to 65% of iodine intake in adults and children, the strategy states.
According to Ireland’s 2017-2018 National Children’s Food Survey, significant numbers of children have inadequate intakes of vitamin D, calcium, iron and folate.
The strategy argues that these deficiencies could be addressed by an appropriate intake of milk, fortified milk and meat.
Worldwide, countries with the lowest dietary intakes of meat, dairy and fish have the highest rate of childhood stunting. The prevalence of stunting in children under the age of five years is more than 30% in India and many African countries. The prevalence of stunting in Ireland and Europe is less than 2.5%.
The document argues that novel plant-based meat and dairy alternatives should be regarded as replacements only in terms of “sensory experience” (taste) rather than in terms of nutrition.
These replacements contain only a fraction of the protein content of animal-sourced foods and, furthermore their use likely underestimates the true nutritional complexity of whole foods in their natural state.
The strategy outlines some figures to show the relatively small impact that red meat and dairy have, compared to the rates of illness caused by deficiencies in these products or excessive consumption of other food categories.
In 2017, excessive calorie intake contributed to five million deaths and 148 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), while diets high in salt accounted for three million deaths and 70 million DALYs. These were the two leading dietary causes of death and disease burden globally.
In contrast to these figures, excessive red meat intake accounted for 25,000 deaths and one million DALYs.
Further more, iron deficiency anaemia – which can be prevented in a large part by moderate consumption of red meat – was responsible for considerably more disease burden (60,000 deaths and 34 million DALYs).
According to the strategy, we are also not eating enough dairy, with diets low in PUFAs derived from dairy accounting for 126,000 deaths and 1.5 million DALYs.
“Removing [animal sourced foods] from the diet would have substantial negative health implications. Therefore, consumption of meat, dairy and [other animal products] in appropriate evidence-based quantities will continue to be included in the official advice and guidelines for a healthy, balanced diet,” the document highlighted.