Ground Beef Options Promoted as Healthful Alternative

Health-conscious consumers have a lot to cheer about when they fire up the grill for burgers this fall.  Thanks partly to the beef checkoff, the USDA has updated its ground beef data to include many different lean types of ground beef now available, and through checkoff-funded information campaigns consumers are hearing all about it.

The new data show that 95 percent lean ground beef – which many consumers today prefer  -- is lower in fat and calories and higher in iron, zinc, niacin and vitamin B-12 than ground turkey.  

The information was promoted nationwide in conjunction the American Dietetic Association Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Penn., beginning Oct. 18.  During numerous sessions, special events and a trade show booth, checkoff-funded materials and individuals informed thousands of dietitians about how some ground beef now can be called lean, and used the event as a springboard for national exposure of the information.  About 10,000 dietitians and others in the nutrition field attend the yearly event.

The nutrition information effort was coordinated on behalf of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board and state beef councils by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA). 

The new data is especially relevant in light of a recent checkoff-funded survey that suggests many consumers today have misperceptions about the role of ground beef in an overall healthful diet.  In the survey, 86 percent of individuals said they thought ground turkey is lower in fat than ground beef.  

Yet roughly 80 percent preferred beef’s taste.  And 93 percent said they would choose lean ground beef over ground turkey knowing lean ground beef’s nutritional value and fat content as compared to ground turkey.

“Fans can easily lighten up their favorite meals like chili and burgers by using lean ground beef,” says Mary K. Young, MS, RD, executive director of nutrition for NCBA.  “With this new data they can feel better about eating a food they already love.”

According to the new USDA data, a 3-ounce cooked serving of 95 percent lean ground beef has five grams of total fat, which meets the government guidelines for “lean,” and contains an abundance of essential nutrients.   The serving represents about 139 calories.  In addition, a 3-ounce serving of 90 percent lean ground beef contains nine grams of fat and 173 calories, less than ground turkey.

A serving of ground beef also provides at least 10 percent of an individual’s daily values for zinc, iron, protein and many B-vitamins.

“Consumers will welcome the availability of new nutrition information from the USDA,” said Young. “About sixty five percent of them are now purchasing leaner grades of ground beef, so it is important for them to have this type of information to make smart food choices and better understand the nutritional benefits they are getting from some of their favorite foods.”

Additional details on the nutritional data on lean ground beef are available from the USDA Web site at www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp.

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