Red meat and Health
Meat offers many nutritional benefits and thus a valuable role
as part of a modern and balanced diet. Meat is rich in protein
and provides us with essential minerals, particularly iron which
is needed to make haemoglobin, the vital oxygen carrying constituent
of blood, as well as being one of our best sources of zinc, which
is necessary for the immune system and healthy skin. Meat is also
an important source of dietary B vitamins; it contains vitamin
B12 which is not found in foods of vegetable origin, but is vital
for healthy blood and nerves.One more significant fact - Britain
has the highest rate of heart disease among EC countries, but
the second lowest meat consumption per head. France has the highest
meat consumption and the lowest heart disease rate!
Safety Issues-Legislation
The British meat industry is one of the most closely controlled
and highly regulated industries in Europe. A total of over 50
pieces of European and UK legislation cover all aspects of meat
safety from production through to retail sale.
The Moral Implications of Eating Meat
Eating meat is a way of life, and moral concerns are matters for
individuals. We respect the right of individuals to choose not
to eat meat but believe that the vast majority, who choose to
do so should not be made to feel guilty, for example, by 'special
interest' pressure groups. Meat has always been part of our diet.
The structure of our digestive system is evidence of this. Sir
David Attenborough, the president of the British Association for
the Advancement of Science, pointed out that humans have 'the
teeth of an omnivore and the gut of certainly not a vegetarian'.
Meat Eating and the third World Issues
Eating less meat in the UK will not make more grain available
for starvation relief overseas. Indeed, there is a surplus of
grain in the world, so the problems are political rather than
of supply None of the ecological dangers facing the world has
a direct relationship with meat eating, There is a world surplus
of beef so there is no truth in the statement that rainforests
are destroyed simply to provide grazing land to produce more beef.
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