Poultry and Eggs

Abstract

In the United States, most poultry used for food consists of chicken and turkey. Some ducks and geese are consumed, but they are relatively insignificant as food sources. The rise in poultry consumption in the United States is mainly due to its low production costs and its dietary health benefits. Its low production costs result largely from the high feed-conversion ratio for growing poultry. For every 1.8 lb of food, the bird will develop 1 lb of meat. This is a higher ratio than can be obtained raising beef, pork, or lamb. The public awareness of the relation between saturated fat consumption and cardiovascular diseases also has had an effect on the increase in poultry consumption. A 3 oz chicken breast with the skin removed has only 3 g of fat (less than 1 g saturated) while the leanest cuts of beef such as round roast with all the visible fat removed still have over 4 g of fat (over 1.5 g saturated). Other popular beef cuts such as prime rib with lean and fat have over 26 g of fat in a 3 oz serving, with over 10 g of saturated fat. The consumption of eggs decreased in the 1970s and 1980s because of concern about cholesterol content. There is conflicting research on whether the amount of cholesterol ingested is as significant as the amount of saturated fat in the development of heart disease. Because of this, coupled with new data on cholesterol levels in the average egg (see end of this chapter), consumption of eggs may actually increase in future years.