Interestingly, 60-70% of kangaroo meat harvested in Australia, goes to feed cats and dogs.
Of that used for human consumption, 70% is exported, mostly to Russia.
It seems there is little demand in Australia for this low fat, and dare I suggest organic, meat.
There is a program promoting the commercial use of Australian wildlife called FATE (Future of Australia’s Threatened Ecosystems), based at the University of New South Wales.
FATE is about to sponsor a study to better understand the market sectors that consume kangaroo in Australia and what marketing exercises would be most effective in boosting consumption and thus boosting the value of kangaroos as a resource.
Quoting from the FATE website:
“FATE has recently been successful in securing funding through the New Animal Industries program of the Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation (RIRDC) for a research project being undertaken in conjunction with UTS School of Marketing to explore consumer choice behaviour in relation to kangaroo meat and develop targeted strategies for boosting market acceptance and consumption. This project has a specific focus on smallgoods and other manufactured meat products, as kangaroo is yet to find a significant place in this market in Australia, despite the fact that some overseas manufacturers have embraced kangaroo as a high-protein, low-fat component of smallgoods.
FATE and UTS will interview meat processors and consumers and conduct discrete choice experiments to determine what factors influence consumer choice around kangaroo meat products.”
I wonder to what extent campaigning by PETA and Voiceless has/will impact on consumer choice?
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD is a critical thinker with expertise in the scientific method.
…don’t forgot that Steve Irwin is also against the kangaroo culls.
It might be worth (from a development angle) trying to export to the Pacific region. The consumption of mutton flaps and chicken ‘debris’ (both extremely high in fat) in S Pacific countries is directly linked to the obesity epidemic in the region.
Given that much of this low quality meat originates from Australia (and NZ), it might be beneficial to substitute kangaroo (much leaner and high quality).
I saw cuts of kangaroo meat in Woolies the other day, they even have them in sausages, the “Kanga Banga”.
Actually, a friend of mine ate kangaroo meat in Iceland !
It’s pleasing to hear kangaroo is sold in one of the big chain supermarkets. I seem to recall that a decade or so ago such stores were bluffed by “conservationists” into dropping this item from sale. Its good tucker.
The kangaroos in Iceland are a different species to the Australian models, but they are of the same genus. Large back feet, soft snow – what better adaptation could you ask for? I know a lot about this sort of thing.
When I visited the Voiceless website, I was appalled to see a photo there of a local actor celebrity (Hugo Weaving) posing with a pet pig. What’s so appalling about that you ask? It’s not that you can determine the character of a pig by the company he keeps, but the pig was wearing A HARNESS. He was RESTRAINED!! I nearly choked on my tofu burger.
So I have concluded that Hugo’s acting ability is much more impressive than his logic on animal welfare. His portrayal of a middle-aged addict in “Little Fish”, caught between his love for his family and his needle was very moving.
Interesting to see that the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet – although advocating a high-protein, low-fat diet, makes no reference to kangaroo (but plenty of references to lean beef and lamb which are well known to have much higher fat content than roo).
My preference of course is for the sirloin cut, marinated in soy and chilli sauce with ginger and garlic and BBQd on the front deck. My wife even liked them before turning vego!
And the price paid for these at Vic Market has not changed from $12 kilo for the past 6 or 7 years, even though other red meat prices have escalated.
Why is some meat acceptable for human consumption and others not?
I saw a Swedish documentary about children out hiking in the Swedish mountains. They had a break and were offered kangaroo meat. The children were shocked and refused to eat the kangaroo meat,they said the kangaroos were so cute, and NO, they would never accept to eat that kind of meat. These children had also never been influenced by PETA or any other animals right organisation.
Well, the very strange thing was that when the children were offered reindeer meat some moments later, this was totally acceptable!
So indeed it seems like animals are not equal.
Hmmm, do we have a consensus on the issue that “consumption of kangaroos is increasing”?
And do we have a consensus of opinion that eating one own national symbol is bad but its OK to eat someone elses (national animal)?
How stupid is that/
We are currently agonising over having to put down some of our horses, with the ongoing drought feed is short and expensive and those that are not income producing are unsustainable.
it is just a horrible time but the reality must be addressed.
Rog, a national symbol as a sustaining symbol, not a cute and cuddly thing on a pedestal – I’m inclined that way.
At the Adelaide markets there is a butcher that sells only roo products (other than the odd free range egg) and has done so exclusively for the last 10+ years.. and the clientele – latte sipping AGW believers who shop at the best fresh food markets in the land with a decaf in one hand. All you need is a forward looking butcher and some progressive customers and you have a business
I of Indian background, and was introduced to Kangaroo by a friend. I loved the taste so much, that I used Kangaroo meat in my Indian cooking.
Instead of “Butter Chicken” curry, I tried a Butter Kangaroo Curry. Using Kangaroo instead of lamb or chicken is a great idea for Asian cooking as well !!!
SUJ
I eat kanga bangas as an alternative to fatty pork or beef sausages, im also under the impression that kangaroos cause less impact on the Australian bush and soil compared to beef etc.(having softer feet not hooves) and are therefore a slightly more sound meal.
Why promote meat eating at all?
Kangaroos are killed in an unspeakably cruel way, just as any other animal which is killed for human consumption.
Meat eaters do not think full stop. In China they eat tortured dogs, believing the torture process makes the meat taste better.
As a vegan I do not understand how the meat from one animal differs to another.
Healthwise, DON’T EAT MEAT AT ALL!!
A vegetarian diet is healthier, and if we ate the grain fed to animals, there would be no starvation in the world.
It just makes common sense.
I like my guilt free lifestyle and will be protesting Woolworths for selling kangaroo meat as the quotas set are not sustainable and many species face extinction.
When will the world wake up?