Date:    Wed, 3 Jul 2002 14:51:02 +1000
From:    Phosphor <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: lean meat

> Isn't the majority of the beef grassfed in these two countries
> [ie Australia and NZ]?

 would be a mixture of normal grazing and grain-based supplementation,
depends i imagine on drought conditions etc

andrew

I cannot speak for New Zealand meat products, but approx 20% of Australian
beef and virtually no lamb is grain finished ie 70-100 days grain fed post
pasture before slaughter, most of this is exported to Japan and USA and
that which is sold in Australia is generally prominently labelled as such -
 as a selling point.  The vast majority of Australian beef and all lamb is
fully pasture fed.  This makes Australia's domestic meat supply probably
the leanest and richest in omega-3 polyunsaturate fats available in the
Western farming world. US feedlot animals by comparison are very fatty and
very poor in omega-3 fats.  Thus our meat is closest in composition to
wild game and kangaroo meat is very lean and relatively rich in omega-3 as
you would expect - very healthy stuff to eat but many people cannot come
to terms with eating Skippy.  Australian lean cuts of beef and lamb are
very similar to kangaroo meat in composition.

Keith