Potential of animal nutrition to decrease the saturated fatty acids in meat and milk

Medical authorities recommend that energy intake from saturated fatty acids (SFA) should not exceed 10% of total energy intake. Milk and meat, because of their relatively high SFA concentration and level of consumption, make a large contribution to human SFA consumption. Strategies to decrease the SFA content in meat and milk include inclusion of forage in the ration of ruminants and supplementation of dietary intake of ruminants and monogastrics with unsaturated fatty acid‐rich oilseeds, fish oil or marine algae. The influences of these manipulations will be illustrated and the likely future trends in the SFA content of meat and milk will be suggested.