Abstract
There is increasing interest in the links between food safety and nutrition. Animal-source foods contribute to fulfilling important micronutrient requirements by supplying vitamin B12, high quality protein, iron, zinc, vitamin A of high bioavailability, riboflavin and calcium. However, high meat and dairy consumption may raise health concerns related to the risk of non-communicable diseases and food safety, especially if upscaling of livestock and fish value chains does not follow recommended hygiene and biosecurity practices. A recent report by the World Health Organisation indicates that food-borne diseases from animal-source foods constitutes an important health burden worldwide. Only a few studies explore nutrition outcomes and food-borne diseases simultaneously and integrative approaches may be difficult due to limited understanding of disciplinary paradigms. Here we propose a conceptual approach to integrate food safety and nutrition assessments in livestock and fish value chains combining knowledge from food sciences, public health, nutrition and economics. It offers six analytical dimensions with explanations of key disciplinary paradigms and methodological characteristics that can cause pitfalls for integration and provides recommendations for joint assessments. The insights arising from this work on methodology for interdisciplinary research can assist those who engage in collaboration to integrate food safety and nutrition research in livestock and fish value chains.
Highlights
Both nutrition and food safety researchers are increasingly concerned with providing safe and nutritious food to people in the face of rapid population growth, urbanisation, increasing food consumption and climate change (Lake et al 2012), but working in disciplinary silos prevents effective collaboration with integrated data collection, analysis and interpretation
Foodborne pathogens can have cyclical patterns and affect health and nutrition at different magnitudes throughout the year. These food safety related changes in the animal source foods (ASFs) value chains can either have a direct impact on nutrition or an indirect impact
By explicitly addressing nutritional and foodborne disease outcomes in combination with value chain analysis, policies and interventions can be targeted to improve the overall health and well-being of Integrated food safety and nutrition assessments people working in the chain and consumers
Summary
Both nutrition and food safety researchers are increasingly concerned with providing safe and nutritious food to people in the face of rapid population growth, urbanisation, increasing food consumption and climate change (Lake et al 2012), but working in disciplinary silos prevents effective collaboration with integrated data collection, analysis and interpretation. Different levels of value are realised when products or services change hands from suppliers to customers These value chains have the potential to contribute to health and nutrition by increasing the availability and affordability of nutrient-rich ASF as well as improving nutrient content and decreasing foodborne disease risks (Gelli et al 2015). Foodborne pathogens can have cyclical (seasonal) patterns and affect health and nutrition at different magnitudes throughout the year These food safety related changes in the ASF value chains can either have a direct impact on nutrition (e.g. foodborne diarrhoea leading to malabsorption and weight loss, or adulteration reducing nutrient intake) or an indirect impact (e.g. wastage of food leading to a decrease in supply and thereby an increase in price, i.e. a reduction in access due to reduced affordability). Six relevant analytical dimensions are described to facilitate integration in research for food safety and nutrition
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