Summary: CSAS Symposium II

By: Anne Zinn

On the afternoon of July 18, the CSAS sponsored a symposium dedicated to exotic species as meat protein alternatives. Alternatives discussed included water buffalo and capybara, as well as bison. Dr. Jayson Galbraith, a livestock specialist at Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, discussed the wide variety of meats consumed worldwide, consumption trends, and the importance of understanding characteristics of specific meats. Galbraith emphasized the importance of research relating to meat characteristics of various species to support marketing efforts and nutritional claims. As an example, he discussed bison meat marketing, which promotes lean, healthy meat, raised on sustainable production systems in Canada and the US; production research and nutritional analysis has supported these claims. Galbraith called for the investigation and further research into characteristics of meat from several other species throughout the world in order to broaden opportunities for successfully marketing them as niche products from consumption.