Chris Paterson
[Photo: QMS]

Mr Paterson is Scotland’s most capped player with 108 caps under his belt and he is also the country’s top points scorer. The poster depicts him in action against a stunning Loch Lomond background with the heading "Strength. Energy. Growth – Red Meat Has It All". A quote from Mr Paterson that "Eating well is a vital aspect of fitness" is an important reminder to pupils of the importance of a healthy diet and the role red meat plays in achieving that.

Fitness is something je takes very seriously and red meat has always played an important part in his diet. Never more so than during the past year, which has seen him make a remarkable recovery from an injury sustained in action on the pitch whilst playing for his country. The injury was serious and resulted in one of his kidneys almost being split in two.

Now fully recovered and out in New Zealand with the rest of the Scottish Rugby Team, Mr Paterson commented that he was hugely proud of achieving so many caps and working hard on his fitness had been a big part of that.

He continued: "Good nutrition and choosing top quality food is an important aspect of training and assured red meat, produced in Scotland, is part of that. Cooking is a source of relaxation for me and it is easy to prepare simple, quick meals to provide energy, protein and vitamins using Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork. Eating properly doesn’t take much effort - you won’t find a ready-meal at our table."

As Mr Paterson waited for his seriously injured kidney to heal, he was encouraged to eat lightly cooked red meat as part of his recovery plan. He thinks that this; the fact he has always led a healthy lifestyle and a determination to get back to full fitness, helped him to get over his injury so well.

As part of his involvement with the campaign, Mr Paterson spent an afternoon with beef farmer, Duncan Maxwell, who with his wife Vivien and son David, runs 40 pedigree black Galloway cattle on the 5,000 acre Blairvockie at Loch Lomond and it is their farm that provides the stunning backdrop to the poster.

"Chris is an enthusiastic ambassador for his sport, for fitness and for both living and promoting a healthy lifestyle," said Jennifer Robertson, Health and Education Co-ordinator with Quality Meat Scotland.

"We are delighted to have him fronting the schools’ poster campaign for us and the important message he puts across to pupils so enthusiastically, is that eating properly can be simple and does not take much effort using Scotch Beef, Scotch Lamb and Specially Selected Pork."