Misleading beef nutrition.

[Baron d'Apcher]

I came across the Agribeef website and despite my nutritional research have been unable to even come close to corroborating the claims they make when comparing the calorie count of beef to salmon (which I assume to be wild king salmon based on Agribeef's commitment to sustainability). I am flummoxed by the "zing" nutrient outside of a healthy regimen of late-night comedy show jokes.

"Beef contains powerful nutrients including zing, iron, protein and B-vitamins to help you lead a strong and healthy lifestyle. The zinc found in three ounces of lean beef is equivalent to 13.5 three-ounce servings of salmon, and the beef only has 154 calories as compared to 2,363 calories in the salmon."

Equal portion sizes of beef and salmon cooked in the same manner have 154 and 2,363 calories respectively? In my reality, wild salmon (even farm raised) has fewer calories, less saturated fat and less cholesterol than virtually all commercial beef cuts available including beef shin and 90% lean ground. Is this G. W. Bush flavored fuzzy math or deliberately misleading information and consumer fraud?

Agribeef also claims their beef is grass-fed (all cattle start their lives on pasture. This is unexceptional and misleading) as well as being grain finished. The cattle are apparently fed GMO corn, growth hormones, anti-biotics on their feedyards ("Cattle are provided with plenty of room so that they may roam, play, stretch out and lie down").

[annabelle]

"According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 20, a 154-calorie, three-ounce serving of lean beef contains more zinc than 13.5 servings of salmon (2,363 calories), more vitamin B12 than 7.5 servings of skinless chicken breasts (1,050 calories), more riboflavin than 4.5 servings of white tuna (491 calories), and more vitamin B6 than 6.5 cups of raw spinach. A three-ounce serving of lean beef also contains more iron than 2.75 cups of raw spinach. “Lean beef is a real nutritional powerhouse,” Tenner said."

According to the USDA, those numbers are accurate.

[Baron d'Apcher]

Agribeef has taken the numbers out of context and done some misleading editing. 3oz of beef compared to 3oz of salmon is acceptable.

Comparing the calories in 3oz of beef to 40.5oz of salmon is not.

Edited August 5, 2013 by Baron d'Apcher (log)

[annabelle]

The nutritional value of beef versus the other items was what they were going for and using a comparison of portion size to show how much more of the other item one would have to consume to ingest the same vitamins and minerals as one would ingest in 3 ounces of lean beef. The illustration was to show how much more "value" is packed in a small portion of beef.

[Ashen]

the statement is basially how much of each is needed to get the same amount of a certain nutrient.

3 oz of beef gives the same amount of zinc as 40.5 oz of salmon. I personally think it is a silly way to break these things down.