111 Awardee Talk - Sustainable diets must include animal-source foods

Abstract

Abstract The notion that consuming animal-source food (ASF; milk, meat, fish and eggs) is incompatible with sustainable development is flawed. Negative perceptions of livestock consumption in many sustainability debates arise from a focus on overconsumption of ASF, particularly in middle to high-income countries, and a narrow interpretation of sustainability that focuses only one, albeit important, indicator — climate change. However, for the almost 800 million extremely poor people who live on less than $1.90/day and subsist on a diet heavily based on starchy foods, more — not less — ASF will be required for sustainable development, as they provide key nutrients required for full human development. Childhood stunting rates and the associated reductions in health, cognitive development, and economic productivity are rampant in countries with low levels of ASF consumption. Yet these foods are the best sources of high-quality nutrient-rich food for children aged 6 to 23 months according to the World Health Organization, and may be the only source of some. Compared to plant foods, ASF supply greater quantities of higher quality protein and more bioavailable vitamin A, vitamin D3, iron, iodine, zinc, calcium and folic acid among other nutrients, and they are the only natural source of vitamin B12, deficiency of which is associated with developmental disorders, anemia, poorer cognitive function, and lower motor development. Therefore, consumption of ASF by the poor should be prioritized to prevent the devastating, lifelong and intergenerational effects of stunting. Consumption of ASF is also important in developed countries to reduce consumption of “empty” calories that contribute to obesity and to meet specific nutrient needs. Sustainable intensification of ASF production addresses the need to improve livestock productivity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions from livestock systems while feeding the world and specifically meeting the growing global demand for ASF, which is expected to double by 2050.