A critical examination of the available data sources for estimating meat and protein consumption in the USA

Abstract

Objective: To describe the methods, strengths and limitations of available data sources for estimating US meat and protein consumption in order to facilitate accurate interpretations and applications. Design: We examined agricultural supply and dietary intake databases from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the US Department of Health and Human Services and the FAO to describe their methodology and to report the most recent estimates for meat and protein consumption. Results: Together, loss-adjusted agricultural supply data and dietary recall data provide the best available estimates of US consumption; the most recent sources indicated that US citizens (ages 2 years and over) consume 4·4-5·9 oz (125·9-166·5 g) of total meat and 6·2-7·4 oz-eq (175·2-209·4 g-eq) from the USDA Protein Foods Group per day. Meat constitutes the majority of intake within the Protein Foods Group, and red meat and processed meat constitute the majority of total meat intake. Nutrient supply data indicate that total meat represents an estimated

Shifting towards a Mediterranean Diet in the US: How Far Do We Have to Go, What Are the Potential Health Benefits and Can We Get There?

“…About a quarter of that is processed meat, such as bacon, cold cuts, sausages and meat snacks [13]. Recent estimates of average US meat and poultry intake per person range between 4.0 and 5.5 ounces per day, based on either dietary intake data or loss-adjusted agricultural supply data [16]. While there is generally a lack of specific federal dietary guidance on daily meat consumption, meat is categorized with other protein-rich foods in the "protein foods" group, which includes meat, seafood, eggs, soy-based products, legumes, nuts and seeds [17].…”

“…While there is generally a lack of specific federal dietary guidance on daily meat consumption, meat is categorized with other protein-rich foods in the "protein foods" group, which includes meat, seafood, eggs, soy-based products, legumes, nuts and seeds [17]. Estimated average US consumption of the protein foods group ranges between 6.2 and 7.4 "ounce equivalents" (oz-eq) 1 per day [16], which is considerably higher by between 13% and 35% than the 5.5 oz-eq recommended in the healthy US-style food pattern recommendation for individuals consuming a 2,000 calorie diet (Fig. 2).…”

“…2). Notably, between two-thirds and three-quarters of estimated intake from the protein foods group currently comes from meat and poultry, of which more than half is red and/or processed meat [16]. For adults eating 2,000 calories per day, red meat and poultry intake should be 23 oz-eq per week, or approximately 3.3 oz-eq per day [1].…”

“…The 2015 DGAC report confirmed that "intakes of protein (as g/d) are adequate across the population and protein is not a shortfall nutrient" [1]. While US consumers view protein as nearly synonymous with meat and animal products, approximately 35% of all protein available within the food supply also comes from grains and vegetables [16]. However, as with the protein foods group, the vast majority of our overall protein intake continues to come primarily from meat and animal sources [18] (Fig.…”

Technical note: Estimation of real rabbit meat consumption in Italy

“…However, as animal carcasses include bones, fatty tissues, organs, trimmings and waste of various types, the apparent meat consumption per capita strongly overestimates the real lean meat consumption (Hallström and Börjesson, 2013;Smil, 2013). On the other hand, food consumption in the US (including meat) is estimated by food availability data (also known as US Food Supply Data or Disappearance Data) provided by the USDA Economic Research Service (ERS) (Fehrenbach et al, 2016). Since 1970, the ERS food data system has included figures and ratios on the boneless and trimmed edible meat consumption for red meat, poultry and fish, as well as loss-adjusted coefficients (removal of non-edible food parts in addition to food lost through spoilage, plate waste and other losses in the home and marketing system).…”