Exploring pre-consumer losses from the Australian sheep meat value chain and the impact on food and nutrition security using mixed methods

Abstract

Achieving sustainable development is a goal that all United Nations members have agreed to, including reducing pre-consumer losses from agrifood value chains. The Australian sheep meat value chain is the second largest producer of sheep meat and wool in the world. The aim of this research was to explore pre-consumer losses from the Australian sheep meat value chain and the impacts these losses have on food and nutrition security .

A mixed methods approach was taken to review the current monitoring of pre-consumer losses from the Australian sheep meat value chain, understand the distribution of nutrients across the edible parts of an Australian lamb, quantify pre-consumer losses, at both a product and a nutrient level and, explore sheep producers’ perspectives on feedback.

A systemized literature review found that the Australian sheep meat value chain has made significant gains in monitoring pre-consumer losses in recent decades and is working towards a more comprehensive system. Modelling nutrient distribution across a typical Australian lamb found that co-products contain a significant proportion of micronutrients, particularly the liver that had more vitamin A, dietary folate equivalents, and vitamin B12 than the carcase and all other co-products combined. Food and nutrient pre-consumer losses from the Australian sheep meat value chain were quantified using a mass balance method. The results showed the value chain is very efficient at the processing stage, with generally low levels of losses, except for adult sheep kidney and liver losses and correspondingly, direct pre-consumer losses of vitamin A and folate. Australian sheep producers would like more detailed and more timely feedback on animal health issues and the support of trusted advisors to assist with interpretating the feedback. This thesis highlighted the importance of offal to nutrition security and the gaps in critical data on offal, from production to nutrient composition to consumption.