Des Moines, IA - Move over bean sprouts, fresh pork may just be the next health food craze. According to a study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, the pork in your grocer's meat case has 39 percent less fat than it did just ten years ago. The study also reported that skinless chicken, the frequent refuge of the health- conscious diner, actually has 34 percent more cholesterol than pork.
Surprisingly, chicken has also become fattier. The mean fat content for all chicken cuts studied is 23 percent higher than the nutritional information contained in the U.S. Department of Agriculture nutritional database.
These conclusions are based on a nationwide sampling by scientists at the University of Wisconsin who examined the nutritional content of the most commonly purchased pork and chicken cuts. Researchers analyzed randomly selected pork and chicken cuts from supermarkets throughout the U.S.
According to the National Pork Producers Council, the study results show that lean pork can easily fit into a healthful diet.
“Pork has undergone a makeover in the last two decades,” explains Ceci Snyder, nutrition communications manager for the NPPC. “Pork producers have used modern breeding and feeding methods to produce much leaner hogs, and butchers today trim nearly all of what little fat remains.”
“As this study shows, the fat content of lean pork compares favorably to skinless chicken,” added Snyder. “Pork provides a great-tasting alternative to chicken that the whole family can enjoy.”
The article, “A Nationwide Audit of the Composition of Pork and Chicken Cuts at Retail,” appears in the September 1998 issue of The Journal of Food Composition and Analysis. For more information on the nutritional content of pork, consumers can visit the NPPC Web site at www.nppc.org.
Mean Fat and Cholesterol Content of Pork and Chicken Cuts
- Tenderloin: 2.9 Fat*; 61 Cholesterol**
- Boneless Loin Chop: 3.8 Fat; 59 Cholesterol
- Boneless Rib Roast: 4.9 Fat; 60 Cholesterol
- Boneless Sirloin Chop: 4.9 Fat; 67 Cholesterol
- Sirloin Roast: 5.0 Fat; 64 Cholesterol
- Loin Chop: 5.1 Fat; 61 Cholesterol
- Boneless Loin Roast: 5.3 Fat; 59 Cholesterol
- Rib Chop: 6.9 Fat; 62 Cholesterol
- Chicken Thigh: 4.8 Fat; 90 Cholesterol * Fat = g/100g ** Cholesterol = mg/100g
Meat Industry Insights News Service
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