Even without a definition for standard portion sizes, consumers continue to shrink their helpings of meat and poultry in the face of healthy-eating desires.
Cutting down on portion sizes is second only to choosing leaner cuts of meat in healthy eating strategies consumers use regarding eating meat and poultry, finds the “2014 Power of Meat” report from the American Meat Institute and Food Marketing Institute. A third of consumers “regularly” cut down on portion sizes while another 54 percent of those surveyed reported they “occasionally” do. In addition, 32 percent said they “regularly” limit second helpings of meat and poultry as a healthy-eating tactic with 53 percent of those sampled saying they “occasionally” do.
Healthy-eating practices in the meat department are driven by higher-income shoppers, the report finds. Consumers, who are very conscious about making healthier choices in the meat department, often are college-educated with above-average incomes, spend more than average on groceries, shop more often and likely purchase natural and/or organic meat and poultry, it shows. In addition, women most frequently focus on portion control by cutting down portion sizes and second helpings, the report says.