While most of New Zealand's offal is exported, there's a growing number of people who advocate for greater use. (File photo) Photo: Pixabay
It was revealed earlier this week that offal mince has been used for some of the meals in the government's revamped school lunch programme. The meat in the meal contained 50 percent beef trim and 50 percent beef heart.
The food code specifies if a blend was being used it must be disclosed, either as offal or the specific names, like liver and kidney.
While most of New Zealand's offal was exported, there was a growing number of people who advocate for greater use, including the organisers of the 'offaly good' festival coming up in Auckland.
Hannah Miller, a chef turned butcher who runs 'A Lady Butcher', was also a huge fan of using a 'nose to tail' approach.
She told Checkpoint offal came with huge benefits.
"Some of the cool things about it... the sustainability from the standpoint of making sure that we're using everything and nothing is being wasted. But more than that really is offal actually has huge health benefits of nutrition around getting your iron, but also has lots of other vitamins as well."
Miller called the addition of the food to school lunches "awesome".
"I think it's a really smart approach. It's great nutrition for our kids, but also it's a really cost-effective option. So we're sort of delivering a little bit more bang for buck really... getting that higher nutrition content at a lower cost."
When it comes to cutting costs, Miller said offal was worth trying.
"If people are keen to give it a go, it is worth it because you can actually save quite a bit."
She said chicken hearts were a good option for those trying offal for the first time.
Hannah Miller is a chef turned butcher. Photo: A Lady Butcher
"You can pick those up from your local butcher for you know $12 a kilo... I've seen them quite regularly at Pak n Save... a tray might be a couple bucks.
"If you look at that from a protein or vitamin content you're really getting good bang for buck."
However, she said actually getting used to the food was the main hurdle for most people.
" would love to say, hey, get used to it, get over it. But really that's not that's not the way to do it."
"[For] getting people on board finely chopping some heart and putting it into a mince is an easy way to do it."
Currently retailers must disclose if meat includes offal.
Miller said that when it came to cafes and restaurants, she had never encountered anyone trying to hide the blend.
"Technically it is more of a retail requirement... anyone that is using it out in New Zealand, everyone I've found does disclose it."
Offal included all the internal organs of an animal, and Miller said there's no part she wouldn't eat.
"Pretty much everything can be used so from the bones becoming stocks and broths, to the intestines being cleaned and used to then be filled with meat to make sausages.
"Slow cooked pigs head is amazing, tongue is fantastic to use instead of a sort of corned beef... everything really does have purpose."
While it may not be for everyone, she maintained that it was worth a go.
"By the time it's on your plate, it shouldn't look like what it is."
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