In the early 1990s, emu was billed as American’s next red meat. The flesh of the 6-foot-tall bird was a nutritionist’s dream — lean, low in cholesterol, and high in iron and Vitamin C. Emu connoisseurs said the bird tasted like fine filet Mignon. Unfortunately, Americans thought otherwise, preferring a nice, marbled sirloin. Emus, which are native to Australia, were imported to the U.S. as breeding stock for zoos, but a 1960 exportation ban in Australia has since banned emus from crossing the border. That left those who saw emu meat as the “meat of the future” to establish emu farms from New England to California, packing pens with the hefty fence-pacing birds. Selling emu meat was a tough business, as one bird only yields about 30 pounds of boneless meat (a cow can yield about 550 pounds of meat). By the time the birds were shipped for processing and the meat forwarded to customers, emu farmers wound up spending more than they earned. The low-yield problem, coupled with the “yuck” factor among many Americans led to a shakedown in the emu meat business. By 2001, membership in the American Emu Association had dropped from about 5,500 to 1,000. Part of the problem of getting emu meat on store shelves was the inspections, which was the reason the 98%-fat-free steaks were going for $9 a pound (at a time when beef was only $2.53 a pound). Today, the only thing the emu farmers are making money from are shampoos and conditioners, lotions, sunburn gels, and lip balm made from emu oils.
