What do consumers really want?

Tough question. In today’s politically correct climate consumers frequently confuse “what they want” with “what they’re expected to want”. They might actually want barbecued spare ribs, but will claim they want a salad because veggies are “good for them” and in their mind, the ribs will be frowned on. It has become increasingly evident that what consumers want—or think they want –is greatly influenced by media reports of what constitutes “healthy” eating. A leading nutritionist in Britain provoked controversy by suggesting that people who don’t eat red meat are risking their health. Professor Robert Pickard, director general of the British Nutrition Foundation said that a vegetarian diet was not natural for mankind…man is an omnivore. And he has a point: evolutionary science tells us that man emerged from an insect-eating group of mammals whose adaptability was greatly accelerated by the adoption of an omnivorous diet. Man’s teeth, jaws and gut have evolved to deal with a mixture of meat and vegetables.

In my view, meat definitely has a part to play in the human diet. It provides iron for the blood, vitamins for over-all health, and proteins and fatty acids for growth. Those on a meatless diet, unless they’re taking supplements, are courting deficiencies of iron, zinc and copper to name but a few.

What consumers really want, of course, is excellent health…and they expect their diet to give it to them. For many North Americans death is not an inevitability, but rather an option, and they lap up the latest evidence that what they eat will help them foil the grim reaper. The straw on the verge of breaking the camel’s back in this case is the notion that foods of animal origin, especially animal fat, will lead to elevated cholesterol levels, clogged arteries, and premature death due to heart disease. Despite accumulating evidence to the contrary, the current mind-set (among most health professionals as well as consumers) is that animal fats are the cause of atherosclerosis. In fact, it is now thought by many leading nutritionists that those saturated fatty acids in animal fats, which elevate LDL levels are offset by others, which elevate HDL(the good cholesterol). In addition, there are now numerous studies indicating that those who consume animal protein and fat (as opposed to those who avoid it or have extremely low intakes) have a significantly lower risk of stroke.

So there you have it. Do I believe that a consumer who wants to follow a meatless diet can be healthy? Yes—if the person is knowledgeable, committed, and takes supplements. Do I think that a consumer who wants to follow their instincts and consume an omnivorous diet can be equally healthy? Absolutely they can, if they remember the principles of moderation and make most of their choices from the four main food groups rather than from the “extras”. The existence of vegetarianism no more refutes the universal preference for animal foods than the fasts of holy men refute a preference for food over hunger. Meat is said to have become a part of the human diet after the Flood, when all plant life had been destroyed: “Every creature that lives and moves shall be food for you” (Genesis 9:3). In fact it’s only in Genesis, before Eve ate the apple, that we find reference to both animals and humans eating nothing but fruit and vegetables and grass. Paradise might have been vegetarian, but this world is omnivorous.

In many ways, what consumers want is to have their cake and eat it too. They want the pleasure of foods that are deemed unhealthful, but they also want to die as late as possible, as youthful as possible. That’s what nutritionists want for them as well…and it seems that the best way to do that is by following your country's Food Guide to Healthy Eating, getting enough exercise and not smoking. Consumers sometimes confuse what they want with what they need…and what they need right now is some solid information about the value of an omnivorous diet.