More Australians met their recommended serves of lean meat and alternative foods in 2023 than in 2011–12, according to new data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

In 2023, 20.6% of the surveyed population met their recommended serves, while 14.7% in 2011 met the recommendations, finds the ABS’ insights on people’s consumption of the five food groups 

Breaking down the data, ABS Head of Health and Disability Insights Suraksha Maharaj says 24% of males surveyed met the lean meat and alternative foods recommendation from the Australian Dietary Guidelines compared to 17.1% of females surveyed in 2023 

“Nearly two thirds, or 64%, of lean meat and alternatives consumption was from eating lean red meats and poultry, with the remaining intake coming from sources like eggs, nuts and seeds, fish and seafood, and legumes and beans,” she says.

In other findings, around one in four surveyed Australians met the recommendations for grains and cereals (27.8%) and fruit (23.1%) in 2023.

“A quarter, or 23.9%, of grains and cereals consumed came from wholegrain or high fibre varieties, and more than half, or 58.2%, of fruit serves came from fresh, frozen or canned fruit. These are the preferred sources recommended in the guidelines,” says Ms Maharaj.

The ABS also found that 7.2% of surveyed Australians consumed “enough” serves of dairy and alternatives, and 4.3% of respondents met the vegetables recommendation in 2023.