Follow the Facts
John Schlageck
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Just last week while visiting with Kansas Farm Bureau President Steve Baccus, the issue of food safety came up.
Baccus traveled to Mexico in September and will go there again in November.
He recently went to Prague, Czechoslovakia. On each of these trade missions, food safety is a major topic of discussion.
Pick up any newspaper or watch nearly any television news show and food safety is being discussed. Every day consumer skepticism about dietary advice increases. Certainly, advice about what to eat or not to eat should be given with extreme care.
Instead, conflicting information about diet and health appears in the news media every few weeks — sometimes more often. It seems that almost periodically the eating of red meat is linked with cancer.
Because of such misleading information, scare tactics, hype in the headlines and conflicting information about diet and health, there is a risk of consumer confusion and uncertainty. Overwhelming scientific evidence points to a diet of moderation and variety. That includes red meat.
Moderation and variety — look at the food pyramid that prescribes a balanced diet that includes red meat. The key is not to overdo any one of those nutrients.
One reason some Americans may be victims of cancer is not because of the red meat they eat but rather the lack of vegetables, fruits and whole grains in their diet. It is essential to enjoy an assortment of the food groups listed in the food pyramid.
Individuals with specific health concerns that require dietary modification should be diagnosed and have diets prescribed by a physician who has a history of patients with these concerns.
Few people today would disagree with dietary guidelines that recommend cutting back on fat, sodium and sugar. This is sound advice.
When it comes to fat intake today, informed consumers remove most of the visible fat. They trim it off and throw it away.
America’s cattle producers have and are continually heeding the call by consumers for lower-fat content beef by producing leaner cattle with less trimmable fat. This has occurred through advances in genetics, feeding and management practices.
In an effort to provide information on the nutritional value of meat as part of a healthful diet, organizations like the National Livestock and Meat Board and the National Pork Producers Council regularly provide consumers with healthy and helpful eating guidelines. Research projects on their products are contracted with qualified academic institutions, private research or meat industry laboratories. Accuracy and credibility are, and will continue to be, reviewed by scientific specialists.
The cattle industry is continually striving to listen to the concerns of consumers and their changing, ever-healthier lifestyles. This industry is working every day to produce leaner, healthier meat products to satisfy today’s market. It has learned to respond with products that meet new consumer desires.
Cattlemen also recognize the need to conduct research that provides data on food nutrition and safety. Consumers are hungry for new dietary products, but they also have a ravenous appetite for information supported by facts and science — not myths and misconceptions.
F John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.