The Role of Beef for the Lowest Cost and Adequate Provision of Bioavailable Nutrients in Modeled Diets at a Population Level in the United States

Abstract

Background The assumptions that animal-sourced food production is environmentally unsustainable and animal-sourced foods can be seamlessly replaced as a nutrient source by plant-based foods, seldom consider the higher quantity and greater bioavailability of essential nutrients that are naturally present in animal-sourced foods.

Objectives With beef being a natural food source rich in higher quality protein and bioavailable vitamins, iron, and zinc, the inclusion levels of beef in dietary patterns that meet nutrient requirements at the lowest cost were determined.

Methods Dietary optimization models using linear programming (LP) were developed to formulate cost-minimized nutrient adequate diets at a population level in the United States. The LP diet models used food compositional data from the USDA, published bioavailability estimates for protein, vitamins, iron, and zinc applied to their contents in foods, daily energy and nutrient requirements for different United States population groups, and food prices from the Thrifty Food Plan 2021 Supplementary datafiles.

Results Lowest-cost nutrient adequate dietary formulations (total nutrient diets) included both animal-sourced foods (beef liver, milk, eggs, and fish) and plant-based foods, at a daily diet cost ranging from United States $0.73 to United States $1.23. When nutrient contents in foods were given in bioavailable units, rather than total dietary amounts, daily diet cost was higher, ranging from United States $1.75 to United States $7.80, and more animal-derived foods (beef meat, beef liver, milk, eggs, sausages, fish, and clams) were included in the modeled lowest-cost diets (bioavailable nutrient diets). Specifically, beef meat in the bioavailable nutrient diets was the lowest cost main contributor to bioavailable protein, bioavailable vitamin B-12, calcium, phosphorus, selenium, and bioavailable zinc.

Conclusions Animal-sourced foods, particularly beef meat, were favorably included in adequately nutritious mixed diets formulated at the lowest retail dietary cost for the United States population.