BMPA requests FSA remove anti-meat study from five-year plan
The British Meat Processors Association (BMPA) has written to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) requesting that it removes a reference to the ‘Global Burden of Disease’ (GBD) study from its five year strategy.
In the letter, chief executive of the BMPA Nick Allen said: “We do not believe it is acceptable to reference a report that has not been peer-reviewed or the evidence to support the report’s findings published, and blames red meat consumption for human ill health.”
The FSA’s strategy document entitled Food You Can Trust was launched by the Agency in March this year, with the aim to understand how the FSA “will continue to uphold food safety and authenticity.”
The GBD study, originally published by The Lancet, has previously been challenged by a group of international scientists on a series of claims made within the report, one being that there is a 36 fold higher estimate of death attributable to red meat intake.
BMPA said that using the GBD study as an example of poor diet creates “a biased representation of what constitutes a healthy and balanced diet and portrays a negative image of animal protein and dairy products to the public, adding to the reputational burden of the meat industry.”
The Association went on to say that, if the FSA requires more information on the link between poor diet and non-communicable disease, it suggested that the Agency use alternative reports “which present a more balanced and accurate depiction from a UK perspective.”
The letter concluded: “We do not contest your statement that ‘diet is one of the largest factors that can increase your risk of developing a disease’ however there is clear evidence that a healthy and balanced diet should include animal protein and dairy products while also reducing consumption of salt, sugar and saturated fats.”
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