Improving the Quality of Products from Grassland

Key points 1. Consumers are increasingly aware of the links between diet and health, and place increasing emphasis on nutritional quality as a component of product quality. 2. Meat and milk products are rich sources of nutrients such as omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid, which offer health benefits to consumers. 3. Green plants are the primary source of n-3 fatty acids in the food chain. 4. Grassland production systems have the potential to enhance the content of beneficial fatty acids, improve stability (from higher antioxidant content) and alter sensory attributes of meat and milk. 5. Grassland offers considerable scope to help create product differentiation in increasingly competitive markets