It is important that people have sufficient fat intake to meet their energy requirements and a balance of different types of fatty acids.
The NZ Nutrition Taskforce suggests that the total energy supplied by different sources of fat should be 30-33%, which should be made up of:
Saturated fat: no more than 12%
Monounsaturated fats: 10-20%
Polyunsaturated fats: 6-10%
New Zealanders have decreased their intake of fat over the years but fat intakes are still above the recommended levels and consumption of saturated foods is still high. 22.5% of the total fat intake in New Zealand is contributed by the discretionary addition of fat to foods, for example, frying foods at home or spreading butter on scones.