Abstract
Besides animals that have been domesticated and farmed for mass production of meat for consumption, there are a large number of quite diverse animal species that can be considered as 'non-traditional' sources of meat, which are reviewed in this chapter. The available literature indicates that non-traditional meats are typically of high nutritional value and have several health-promoting attributes. The diverse species source of non-traditional meats also brings an increased choice of sensory properties and potential range of affordability.
All non-traditional meat animals are hunted in the wild for their meat and some of these animals are now being farmed to various extents. Although there are a number of health risks associated with meat obtained from feral animals, as they live in uncontrolled environments, sport hunting is widely popular, and the hunting and consumption of feral meat is a necessity for sustenance for many people in a lot of countries. World population increases and improved quality of life are placing increased demand on high protein products such as meat, and there is increasingly resource limitation on mass production of common farmed meat-producing animals, as well as ensuing environmental issues.
The available literature indicates that there is considerable potential for increased utilization of non-traditional meats, that will likely promote upscale development of farming non-traditional animals to meet demand for meat in the future, which with appropriate farming and processing practice controls, can mitigate the health risks that are associated with feral derived meat. However, there is also the consideration of the religious beliefs of different cultures, and also consumer perception in relation to meat consumption, that need to be given consideration, and that will influence market development.