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. 2011 Apr;14(4):575-83.
doi: 10.1017/S1368980010002077. Epub 2010 Nov 12.

Trends in meat consumption in the USA

Carrie R Daniel  1 , Amanda J Cross, Corinna Koebnick, Rashmi Sinha
Affiliations

Trends in meat consumption in the USA

Carrie R Daniel et al. Public Health Nutr. 2011 Apr.

Abstract

Objective: To characterize the trends, distribution, potential determinants and public health implications of meat consumption within the USA.

Design: We examined temporal trends in meat consumption using food availability data from the FAO and US Department of Agriculture (USDA), and further evaluated the meat intake by type (red, white, processed) in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) linked to the MyPyramid Equivalents Database (MPED).

Results: Overall meat consumption has continued to rise in the USA and the rest of the developed world. Despite a shift towards higher poultry consumption, red meat still represents the largest proportion of meat consumed in the USA (58 %). Twenty-two per cent of the meat consumed in the USA is processed. According to the NHANES 2003-2004, total meat intake averaged 128 g/d. The type and quantities of meat reported varied by education, race, age and gender.

Conclusions: Given the plausible epidemiological evidence for red and processed meat intake in cancer and chronic disease risk, understanding the trends and determinants of meat consumption in the USA, where meat is consumed at more than three times the global average, should be particularly pertinent to researchers and other public health professionals aiming to reduce the global burden of chronic disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total meat consumption in the U.S., E.U., and developed world, FAOSTAT, 1961–2003
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total meat, red meat, poultry, and fish consumption in the U.S., USDA, 1909–2007
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percent intake of different types of meat in U.S. as estimated by a single 24-hour dietary recall, NHANES, 2003–2004 A) Distribution of meat types that contribute to total meat intake. B) Percentage of total meat that is processed.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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