A Swiss population-based assessment of dietary habits before and after the March 1996 ‘mad cow disease’ crisis

Abstract

Objective: To assess differences in dietary habits in the general population of Geneva, Switzerland, after the 1996 (BSE) crisis.

Design: Repeated population-based survey during 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996.

Setting: The Bus Santé 2000 epidemiological observatory of Geneva, Switzerland.

Subjects: A representative sample of 1190 men and 1154 women.

Main outcome measure: Dietary habits assessed by a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire.

Results: The proportion of women who reported not having eaten beef was 7.7% in 1993–1995 and went up to 14.6% in 1996 (age-adjusted difference +6.4%, 95% CI +2.4 to +10.4). Among men, the proportion of non-beef-eaters remained constant (5%). There was a sharp increase of women who did not eat liver (+14.7%, +9.1 to +20.3) but less so in men (++5.1%, −0.7 to +10.8). Among women who ate meat, the amount of beef intake decreased by 120 g/month (95% CI −208 to −36). While chicken intake increased (+44 g/month, −2 to 88), overall intake of meat (including poultry but not fish) declined by 204 g/month (or 2.7 kg per year). In men the decrease in beef intake was not statistically significant (−48 g/month, −172 to 80), but consumption of chicken increased (++56 g/month, +8 to +104). Fish intake was stable in both genders. The reduction in intake of animal protein (−3.5 g/day) in women and of retinol intake in both sexes (women −77 μg/day; men −56 μg/day) was statistically significant.

Conclusions: The BSE crisis coincided with spontaneous differences in food habits, especially in women, that may have nutritional consequences at the population level.

Sponsorship: Grant no. 32-049847.96 of the Swiss National Science Foundation.