A sponsor's profile: Meat and Livestock Australia.

Dr Margaret Allman-Farinelli, Editor of Nutrition & Dietetics, recently asked the following questions of Veronique Droulez, Project Manager--Nutrition Research, Meat and Livestock Australia

N&D: Nutrition & Dietetics is positioning itself as part of the Asia Pacific nutrition network and looks forward to increased exchange of information. Would you like to tell us briefly about Meat and Livestock Australia's operations in Asia?

MLA: Meat and Livestock Australia (and previously Australian Meat and Livestock Corporation) have been providing health professionals and consumers in the south-east and north-east Asian regions with nutrition information for the past ten years. More recently, the Meat Alliance (a partnership between the Australian, New Zealand and US meat industries) has launched a nutrition campaign in Taiwan, relating to the role of dietary iron, targeting health professionals and consumers. Activities have included sponsorship of a presentation by Professor Ning-Nang Shaw from the National Taiwan University on the diet and nutritional status of the Taiwanese people at the 3rd Asian Congress of Dietetics, August 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Similar presentations have been organised for dietitians, health professionals and consumer groups in Jakarta, Indonesia.

N&D: Are there any new developments in food and nutrition that you would like to make readers aware of?

MLA: Meat and Livestock Australia's Human Nutrition R & D Program supports research in a wide range of areas. Updated data on the nutrient composition of beef, veal, lamb and mutton will be released in early 2003. In 2002-2003, the program will continue funding research in the area of obesity and cardiovascular health as well as the contribution of red meat in the Australian diet. The research findings will be communicated to dietitians through the newsletter Vital, conferences and seminars.

Extensive consumer research undertaken by MLA indicates a significant paradigm shift in 'health'--there is a greater focus today on vitality and wellbeing, as opposed to simply disease control with the idea that food affects physical, emotional and mental health. Through MLA's new consumer campaign, 'Red Meat. Feel Good.', the benefits of consuming lean red meat are communicated in an engaging and 'feel good' way. The campaign is supported by a range of point-of-sale materials with quick, healthy meal ideas that meet the needs of busy families. Our consumer tracking research indicates the campaign is having a positive impact on attitudes in the community about red meat.