Australian Meat Industry Council

Ethnic and Special Diet

Information regarding the various specialities and services that Independent Local Butchers provide. All specialities and services listed below are searchable on AMIC's ILB Online Shop Directory - www.localbutcher.com.au

Many butchers cater for specific ethnic styles of cuisine and provide suitable cuts of meats such as for Asian and Japanese cooking. Scottish products are also very popular with lines including Haggis, white pudding and Scotch eggs and pies available in butcher shops.

Some cultures require meat to be killed and prepared a certain way. Both the Halal diet of the Muslim faith and the Kosher diet of the Jewish faith require this. However, both diets are very different, both in the specifics of slaughter and the diet itself.

With better health education people are finding they have a specific food intolerance. Some of the most common are a Lactose (dairy product) intolerance or have nut allergies. With a growing number of gourmet and ready prepared meals in butcher shops, specific food lines that state the products are Dairy Free, Nut Free, Gluten Free and Preservative Free are becoming more common as people question what they choose to eat.

The Heart Foundation has developed a set of tough nutrition standards that help shoppers make healthier food choices quickly. Products that have the Heart Foundation Tick are ‘healthier choices’ because they have met the program’s strict, nutrition standards. There are more than 60 food categories in the Tick Program, each with its own unique nutrition criteria for various combinations of saturated fat, salt, kilojoules and fibre. These include meat and other products that butchers sell. If a butcher has products that have received the Heart Foundation Tick, shoppers are guaranteed they are making a healthy decision.