Indonesian children need more beef in their diet to boost their physical, mental and intellectual growth, an expert and red meat industry marketer said Saturday. Speaking at the seminar "Let's Beef Up Your Kids' Growth", Sarah Fauzia S. Puspita, head of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture's (IPB) Nutrition Consultative Body, said only two out of every 10 Indonesian children consumed beef daily.
The conclusion was derived from interviews with parents of 445 children in 20 elementary schools in Greater Jakarta from July to December last year. Sarah claimed Greater Jakarta could be considered to represent the country because the region appeared to be a center for people with good nutrition.
She added Indonesian children consumed on average only a half to 2 kilograms of beef a year. By comparison, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization recommends that children eat at least 33 kilograms of beef a year. "Beef is not a favorite food for most children because it's hard to chew, and most mothers don't want to serve it to their children because it takes long to cook," Sarah said.
She claimed beef contained a higher amount of nutrients than chicken or fish, adding it contained protein, iron and zinc for cell formation, growth and intelligence, as well as vitamin B12 for the normal functioning of the brain and nervous system. She also claimed omega 3 in beef was useful for reducing the possibility of heart attacks among the elderly. She added the lack of beef in a child's diet would cause anemia, a deficiency of red blood cells.
An estimated 17.5 million elementary school children in the country suffer from anemia, she said. The Health Ministry, she went on, had recommended that children eat iron-rich food, as part of its nutritional balance program. To encourage children to eat more beef, Sarah said, every mother should serve "delicious and soft beef, as children like that kind of meat". "Mothers can buy veal, as that's easy to chew," she said.
"The meal can be made more delicious if green vegetables are provided." Isye Iriani, Indonesia's country representative for Meat and Livestock Australia, told the seminar that mothers should push their children to make a habit of eating beef at breakfast. "Breakfast contributes 20 percent of children's energy," Isye said.