Source: Michael Fielding, MEATINGPLACE, 4/28/14


Most consumers don’t fully recognize the nutrition benefits that meat and poultry offer, according to a recent survey conducted online by Harris Poll for the American Meat Institute.

Only 12 percent of consumers correctly identified animal products as the only natural source of Vitamin B12, which keeps the nervous system healthy. Twenty percent said cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower were the natural source of B12, and 13 percent thought the correct answer was citrus fruit. Neither of those foods contains Vitamin B12.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey estimates that up to 20 percent of adults age 50 and older may have a borderline B12 deficiency.

AMI’s survey also showed that consumers don’t know that the body absorbs more iron from meat and poultry than from other foods. Meat and poultry contain “heme” iron, the most absorbable form, but 52 percent of consumers incorrectly thought the body absorbed the most iron from spinach, kale and other leafy greens, which are high in iron, but contain the less absorbable “non-heme” form. Only 17 percent correctly named meat, poultry and fish. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies iron deficiency anemia as the most common nutritional deficiency in the United States.

Some of the findings are similar to recent research by NPD Group, which found that most consumers agree that protein is necessary in a healthy diet. Three quarters of consumers said they didn’t know the recommended daily amount. In general, men and women need between 46 and 56 grams of protein per day.

The survey was conducted March 24-26, 2014, online in the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of AMI. It polled 2,167 adults, ages 18 and older.

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