On average, Canadians consume 41 grams of cooked fresh meat per day, which includes 28 grams per day of prepared poultry and red meat, or roughly two slices of deli turkey or ham. That’s short of the recommended one serving per day.
Health Canada has noted that women are at risk of inadequate intakes of iron, zinc and vitamin B12, all essential nutrients found in red meat.
A September, 2017, online poll of 1,003 Canadians conducted on behalf of the Canadian Meat Council found that 72 percent ate three or fewer servings of meat per week.
Even so, three out of four respondents said that they understood the important role that red meat plays in getting essential nutrients for health.
"Canadians understand that meat is nutrient dense and plays a key role in balanced diets and even has benefits when added to diets that are largely plant-based by helping the body absorb nutrients, like iron and zinc," said Mary Ann Binnie, a nutrition expert with the Canadian Meat Council.
