AMI urges Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee to consider important nutrition benefits of meat and poultry
Meat and poultry products are important and rich sources of highly bioavailable micronutrients and inclusion of meat and poultry products in the diet can prevent well-documented vitamin deficiencies, according to American Meat Institute (AMI) comments submitted yesterday to the 2015 U.S. Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. The committee requested comments on sodium reduction and food safety as well as sustainability, an issue that AMI said is clearly outside the committee’s charge and beyond its expertise.
The Institute detailed the extensive contributions that meat and poultry make to the nation’s nutrition status. “In addition to high quality protein, meat and poultry also are important and rich sources of micronutrients such as iron, zinc, selenium, and Vitamins B12, B6, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and potassium. Up to 16 percent of U.S. adults and more than 20 percent over 60 years old are marginally depleted in vitamin B12,” AMI wrote. “Deficiency increases with age, with about six percent of those more than 70 years old being deficient in vitamin B12. Recent research also has demonstrated the role that meat and poultry can play in ensuring adequate vitamin and mineral intake. These nutrients are either not present in plant foods or have low bioavailability.”