Why Uruguay Eats So Much Beef

Abstract

• The Uruguayan National Meat Institute (INAC) divers meat every bit: "edible portion of animals declared fit for human feeding past veterinary inspection and comprising the tissue muscles and soft tissues surrounding the skeleton later slaughter operation is completed" (INAC, 2002). This definition is applied forth the meat industry and also by the human being health institutions (Ministry building of Public Wellness and Human Health and Nutrition Departments of the University of the Republic).

• Across this concept, for Uruguay as an consign land, meat means confidence in terms of nutrient condom, fauna welfare, and environmentally friendly production systems. From the plate to the farm, Uruguay joins research, technologies, and product systems to guarantee consumers traceability, safety, nutritive value, and quality of its products. Feeding animals with pastures and avoiding by law the inclusion of hormones, antibiotics, or animal by-production feedstuffs generates an advantage for Uruguay, putting it in front of the new trends in consumer demand.

Historically, livestock and meat product take been tightly related to the Uruguayan territory. Cattle and horses were introduced to what is now Uruguay in 1611 by Hernandarias even before European settlers landed. In its beginnings, livestock grazed lands freely, and hides were the first national consign production. Later, the production of tallow, horns, and meat with the development of salted meat establishments represented the master export products.

Several laws and regulations have driven livestock product in Uruguay to go its most important economic activeness since Spaniards settled in. The Land Concession Imperial Act (1728), Free Trade Rules (1778), Land Distribution Rules (1815), the Kickoff Agronomical Demography (1815), the creation of the Farmers Association of Uruguay (1871) and the Ministry of Promotion (1891), the National Meat Found (INAC in Spanish; 1967), the Authoritative Commission for Meat Supply (1969), the Livestock Comptroller´s Directorate (DICOSE in Spanish; 1973), and the Electronic Information System for the Meat Industry (SEIIC in Spanish; 2007) represented milestones in the Uruguayan livestock and meat production development (Lewowicz, 2016).

Various regulatory bodies follow either a specific definition (muscular creature body part) or other more generic definitions (meat edible beef, veal, pork, etc., which is sold to supply common village) (Diccionario de la Real Academia de la Lengua Española, 2014). The more specific definition of meat tends to focus exclusively on the muscle of the carcasses of animals for slaughter or hunting. Fish are usually not considered into this specific concept of meat. In addition, the specific pregnant of meat excludes meat that has been subjected to technological treatments beyond the reduction of size, cooling, freezing, and packaging. On the other paw, the generic concept includes muscle and may include without limitation to the residuum of the edible parts of animals for slaughter: blood, entrails, fat, peel, etc. This significant also includes both fresh meat and meat that has been candy in households or industries: cooked, dried, and freeze-dried.

The Uruguayan definitions are addressed to the generic concept. The Uruguayan National Meat Constitute (INAC), whose objective is to promote, regulate, coordinate, and monitor the activities of production, processing, marketing, storage, and ship of different meats (bovine, ovine, equine, swine, goats, poultry, rabbits and creature hunting), giblets, by-products, and meat products, has defined meat as:

"edible portion of animals declared fit for human feeding past veterinarian inspection, and comprising the tissue muscles and soft tissues surrounding the skeleton after slaughter operation is completed" (INAC, 2002).

On the other paw, the Official Regulation of Veterinary Inspection for Products of Animate being Origin from the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries has defined meat as "the edible muscular part of slaughtered cattle, consisting of all the soft tissues surrounding the skeleton, including its roofing, fat, tendons, vessels, nerves, aponeuroses, and all those tissues not separated during the slaughter operation. In improver, the diaphragm is considered meat, but not the heart, the esophagus, and the tongue" (Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, 1983). The Schoolhouse of Homo Nutrition of the University of the Republic (Uruguay) uses the definition of meat according to Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca (1983) and applied in the National Bromatological Regulations (Decreto 315/994, MSP, 1994).

Nevertheless, for Uruguay, meat is more than than that. Meat means confidence in terms of food safety, nutritional value, creature welfare, and environmentally friendly production systems based mainly on grasslands. Uruguay supports the strategy of aligning product systems, practices, and technologies to target the preference of unlike segments of consumers and proceeds their conviction in different niche markets (Montossi et al., 2013). In that sense, Uruguay considers that generating its own scientific and technological information, as well as promoting education, grooming, and innovation processes along the meat industry, are cardinal points not only to provide a high quality and prophylactic meat, but likewise to project an creature welfare friendly and environmentally responsible image to improve the international market positioning (Del Campo et al., 2014). Enquiry priorities for meat in Uruguay are focused on safe and healthiness, assuming that production systems have to be ethical from beast welfare and ecology issues, which are critical to maintaining a competitive position in the market place (Del Campo, 2016).

Uruguay has ane of the highest, if not the highest, meat consumption in the world, attaining 98.7 kg of meat/capita in 2015. From the total meat consumption, 57.half dozen kg corresponded to beef, xx.iv kg to poultry, xvi.ix kg to pork, and iii.8 to lamb (INAC, 2015). Poultry meat consumption has increased the most in the last 20 yr. Several factors explicate this behavior such as toll, convenience, health concerns, growing of exporting markets for beef, etc. In improver, it is of import to annotation that Uruguay currently exports 70% of its beef production mainly to Europe, North America, and Asian markets (Lanfranco and Rava, 2014a).

Undoubtedly, socio-cultural factors play a key role defining Uruguayans as carnivores. Information technology seems to exist a "meat paradox" because people simultaneously dislike pain animals and similar eating meat, simply Uruguayan consumers appear to suppress or minimize their moral concern for animals (Loughnan et al., 2010). Meat as a "source of pleasure and nutrition" is not tied to elements that allow consumers to associate meat to slaughter of animals (da Silva Gomes Ribeiro and Corção, 2013). Still, the Uruguayan Meat Industry guarantees ethical husbandry procedures through its ain recommendations and legislation.

In recent years, meat consumption has been pointed out as a possible risk cistron in the development of dissimilar diseases such as cardiovascular illness and cancer, in item colorectal cancer. In addition, livestock production has been blamed, at least in part, for the environmental contamination around the earth. Even when wellness problems related to red meat consumption are of increased concern among Uruguayan consumers, the inclusion of fauna protein seems to play an underlying office in their diet. Indeed, Holm and Möhl (2000) reported in his study that negative attitudes of consumers regarding meat were not necessarily associated with diminished meat consumption simply were related to a tendency to redesign meals with special reference to the part assigned to meat, which is considered every bit one more ingredient alongside vegetables and cereals.

Fifty-fifty in the face up of this unfavorable context regarding meat consumption, sense of taste and nutritional value are two valuable quality attributes for well-nigh of consumers. Meat is considered an splendid source of high quality poly peptide and of import source of some micronutrients such as atomic number 26, selenium, vitamins A and B12, and folic acid (Biesalski, 2005; McNeill and Van Elswyk, 2012). Enquiry conducted in Uruguay showed that grass-fed beef cattle produced greater atomic number 26 and zinc concentration in meat than grain-fed animals (Cabrera and Saadoun, 2014). Meat also contributes to a depression glycemic index due to its "low" carbohydrate content, which is considered "beneficial" in regard to overweight, cancer, and diabetes development ("insulin resistance hypothesis"). Therefore, meat is an essential component of a balanced nutrition, ensuring adequate delivery of essential micronutrients and amino acids, and it is involved in regulatory processes of energy metabolism (Biesalski, 2005).

A traditional Uruguayan Chivito sandwich with sliced steak, ham, cheese, eggs, and mayonnaise (source: © 2006 Matt Rubens world wide web.wikimedia.org).

A traditional Uruguayan Chivito sandwich with sliced steak, ham, cheese, eggs, and mayonnaise (source: © 2006 Matt Rubens www.wikimedia.org).

In addition, contempo research studies have focused on the nutritional importance of the omega vi: omega 3 fatty acid ratio for the human being nutrition and on the content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers considering of their anticarcinogenic properties (Ip et al., 1994). Realini et al. (2004) and Brito et al. (2009) reported that Uruguayan grass-fed animals had higher concentrations of linolenic, eicosapentaenoic, docosapentaenoic, and arachidonic acids than grain-fed steers.

Lanfranco and Rava (2014b) estimated the demand for meats of Uruguayan households. In this study, all meat items evaluated were necessary goods and displayed income-inelastic responses, which was expected given their high consumption level. Inelastic responses imply small changes in consumption with large increases in price (Hursh, 1980). Lanfranco and Rava (2014b) reported that all meats behaved every bit normal appurtenances although they exhibited different reactions to changes in cost. The authors found that the more specific the meat production was, the higher its corresponding direct cost elasticity, which refers the degree to which consumers change their need in response to price change. This written report confirms the relevance of meat for Uruguayan consumers, being considered an important element of its identity as a country.

Closing Remarks

Uruguayan meat definition is in line with that of the American Meat Science Association (AMSA), focusing on the edible part of a carcass according to the official veterinary inspection criteria. Meat production has played a relevant function in Uruguay´s economical and social development, existence i of the world's top x beef-exporting countries. Meat is recognized equally a valuable protein source for Uruguayan´s diet. In fact, Uruguay has 1 of the highest blood-red meat consumption per capita in the globe even though consumers are not oblivious well-nigh the possible health risk that red meat consumption might pose. Confidence in the meat manufacture has represented a mainstay supporting that loftier meat consumption. Meat product and its consumption will continue to be ingrained in the Uruguayan culture with increased consideration of the ethical requirements. Consumers' expectations, perceptions, behavior, and values are key factors in determining the acceptability of meat. In relation to this trend, the Uruguayan meat industry has reinforced its strategies in producing and exporting "conviction" associated with product systems based mainly on grass-fed animals, individual animal traceability, nutrient safety, brute welfare, and implementation of certification processes (country of origin and brands).

Santiago Luzardo is a research scientist working for the Meat and Wool National Research Program at INIA Uruguay. He earned his Ph.D. at Colorado Country University. His piece of work has been mainly focused on the furnishings of diet and production systems on carcass and meat quality in lamb and beef cattle. His about contempo work has been more than closely related to meat safety and meat shelf-life issues.

Gustavo Brito is Regional Director of INIA Tacuarembó at the present. He is a primary scientist of the Meat and Wool National Research Program at INIA Uruguay. He earned his M.Sc. and his Ph.D. at The University of Georgia in Meat Scientific discipline. His piece of work has been focused on the furnishings of pre- and post-mortem characteristics on carcass and meat quality in beef cattle.

Marcia del Campo has been a chief scientist of the Meat and Wool National Research Program at INIA Uruguay since August 1994. She earned her M.Sc. and her Ph.D. in Brute Welfare and Meat Quality at Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, España. Her piece of work has been mainly focused on animal welfare and meat quality in beef cattle and sheep.

Fabio Montossi has been the National Director of INIA since 2015. From 2006 to 2014, he was the National Manager of the Meat and Wool Enquiry National Program of the aforementioned Establishment. He began working at INIA in 1988, earning his Ph.D. at Massey University (New Zealand) in 1996. His principal expanse of work has been grazing ecology and animal diet, animal production systems, meat science and human wellness, engineering science transfer systems and co-innovation, and human capital development.

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© 2017 Luzardo, Brito, del Campo and Montossi

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