Kangaroo meat was legalised for human consumption in South Australia in 1980, and in all other states in 1993. This ultra-lean red meat has become a delicacy in game-loving nations like Germany and France, but Australians have been slower to catch on.

Despite now being stocked in major supermarkets across Australia, 70 per cent of human consumption kangaroo meat is exported.

However while the kangaroo industry’s PR machine still has some work to do at home, the industry itself is looking very healthy, as John Kelly, Executive Officer of Kangaroo Industries Association of Australia explains.

“The kangaroo industry is probably one of the best performing rural industries in Australia," John says.

“Its productivity has increased an average of seven per cent per annum for the last 15 years. Few, if any, rural industries could match that sort of sustained long term growth. The total industry value is about $250 million a year and it’s worth about 4000 jobs across the country.”

Strict quotas govern the number of kangaroos harvested each year, ensuring the long term sustainability of the industry. In 2007 about 3.2 million animals were "harvested".

Traditionally a large percentage of this meat has ended up in pet food – but Vaughn O’Connor, from Game Meat Processing, Australia’s largest kangaroo meat processor, says this trend is changing.

“If you go back five years ago you’re pretty much looking at 70 per cent of kangaroo meat going into pet food,” he says.

“Now we’re looking at a complete reverse with regards to that number, so roughly 35 per cent would be going in that direction, and human consumption has become roughly 70 per cent of the game for us.

“It’s gone away from being a meat or protein source that’s driven on a commodity basis, to being something that’s seen as a delicacy overseas,” Mr O’Connor says.

“As a result of that we’re having success in terms of developing export markets both in Europe and in developing Asian countries like Korea and Japan.”

However while overseas demand is soaring, Australians have been slower to embrace kangaroo. Chef Stephane Bremont, who owns Brisbane’s leading native foods fine-dining restaurant, believes an outdated stigma attached to kangaroo meat is in part to blame.

“Most people coming through the door, come with pre-conceived ideas and say ‘I don’t really want to try that’ and they have and they come out extremely happy,” says Mr Bremont.

“I guess it’s classified as a game meat, but not extremely gamey – you get a gamey residue at the back of the mouth I suppose, but it is not something that is aggressive. It’s a very nice and tender meat, quite similar to beef I suppose but with that gamey flavour coming to it.”

Kangaroo meat contains elevated levels of iron, zinc and protein as well as being one of the highest known sources of conjugated linoleic acid – a compound believed to reduce blood pressure. But knowing how to handle a meat whose fat content is less than two per cent, can be a challenge for the uninitiated.

Stephane Bremont explains his preferred method of cooking.

“As with any other native meat such as emu and so on, they need to be cooked rare to medium rare, just to keep that moisture in the meat,” he says. “One of the things you will find – if you over cook it, being low fat meat, it’s going to actually dry out and be tough.

“I tend to pair game meats mainly with fruits,” Mr Bremont says. “Having said that you could serve it with a mushroom sauce, and red wine jus – it’s pretty much open to anything you feel like - it’s very versatile.”

With demand for the meat continuing to grow, wholesalers have seen a significant jump in the value of their produce over the last four or five years.

Vaughan O’Connor says: “The manufacturing meat that actually comes from the process; what we’ve seen [is we’re] looking at roughly 30 per cent increase in terms of what the market’s prepared to pay on a global scale.

“If you look at the other side, like the prime cuts, it’s probably more like a 50 per cent increase in terms of price. But [that’s] probably in line with the consumer demand for the product, and for the fact that the health benefits are really starting to be embraced by consumers globally.”

When kangaroo meat was first brought to Australian plates, many green campaigners opposed the move. Today, as John Kelly notes, attitudes are changing.

“Late last year for example we had a Greenpeace funded report urging Australians to increase consumption of kangaroo meat based on the fact that kangaroos don’t emit methane, and cattle and sheep belch it by the tonne,” says Mr Kelly.

“[In] the next 15 to 20 year term, everyone sees the industry as having a bright future, particularly as it becomes more accepted and recognized for the environmental benefits it delivers.”

Vaughan O’ Connor is equally optimistic for the industry’s future.

“From our perspective it’s a case of taking it from being a manufactured based commodity to actually being seen as a delicacy,” says Mr Connor. “So really we look at ways where we can actually educate the market on the benefits of our product and I suppose the uniqueness of kangaroo meat.”