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Research carried out by Meat and Dairy Facts has revealed that almost two thirds of Irish women don’t know where to find advice on their dietary requirements. The recent survey of 1,000 women by iReach insights was carried out to uncover insights into the accessibility of accurate dietary advice for Irish women.

The research comes in light of Meat and Dairy Facts efforts to provide trustworthy and accessible information to Irish women of all ages and life stages on their dietary requirements.

Key research findings include:

  • One third (33%) of Irish women aged 20-24 (21% of all women surveyed) believe that women and men have the same dietary requirements.
  • 89% of 20–24-year-olds don’t know where to find advice on women’s dietary requirements, versus 45% of those aged 50-54.
  • 61% of Irish women don’t know where to find advice on women’s dietary requirements.
  • 85% of women aged 50-54 (67% of all women surveyed) who know where to find dietary advice seek information online.

Speaking about the research, leading nutritionist and dietician Orla Walsh said: “Women’s dietary requirements change throughout their lifecycle and differ hugely from their male counterparts, which is why providing sound and accessible dietary advice to women is so important. With conflicting reports on the fuel our bodies need shared across social media every day, Meat and Dairy Facts provides consumers with a trustworthy store of information and bank of recipes to help inform food-related decision making.”

Speaking about the study, Zoe Kavanagh, CEO of the National Dairy Council said: “Almost two thirds of women in Ireland don’t know where to find advice on their dietary requirements. As a sector, we have a responsibility to help fill this knowledge gap through the Meat and Dairy Facts initiative.”

Along with explaining the major steps that Irish farmers are undertaking to care for their animals and the environment, Meat and Dairy Facts provides people with a wealth of knowledge about the Irish dairy and beef industry.

Bord Bia CEO, Tara McCarthy explains: “Irish meat and dairy is among the most carbon efficient in the EU with efficiency improving year-on-year. The most recent Origin Green progress report shows that on average, over the last seven years, Irish dairy farmer members have reduced their carbon footprint by 6% and beef farmer members by 6.3%”.*

Consumers who wish to find out more about the work of Meat and Dairy Facts can visit www.ourdevserver.com/mad to access the organisations bank of resources.

For more information on how to fuel your body, see below.

*Figure recorded across farms that joined the Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme and the Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme in 2014. Source: Bord Bia (2021). Origin Green Progress Report Update.