Protein in New Zealand: intake, sources and labels

Most protein questions turn out to be four separate questions wearing one coat: how much you need, which foods supply it, what a package is legally allowed to say about it, and whether a specific claim you have just been shown holds up. Each has a different kind of answer, and running them together is where most of the confusion starts.

Start with the reference values in how much protein you actually need each day, then move to the food itself in the comparison of New Zealand protein foods, which works from named food-composition records rather than an invented ranking. For the supermarket shelf, what a “high protein” claim means on a New Zealand label covers the regulated wording on the front of the pack, and the check of the viral liquid egg whites claim works those same label rules through a single product.

What happens to protein once it is inside the body — during illness, immobility or ageing — is a different question, and it lives in Protein & the Body, starting with what a short illness does to protein balance.

Where a question needs a personal answer rather than a published figure, a New Zealand registered dietitian or your own health professional is the right place for it.