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Animal and plant-sourced nutrition: complementary not competitive

Authors :
Andrew Fletcher
Warren C. McNabb
Keith G. Pembleton
Nick W. Smith
J.P. Hill
Source :
Animal Production Science. 62:701-711
Publication Year :
2021
Publisher :
CSIRO Publishing, 2021.

Abstract

Debate on the sustainability of the global food system often compares the environmental, economic and health impacts of plant- and animal-sourced foods. This distinction can mask the considerable variation in impacts across and within these food groups. Moreover, the nutritional benefits of these food groups are insufficiently discussed. In this review, we highlight the nutritional contribution to the current global food system of both plant- and animal-sourced foods and place their impacts on human health in the global context. We highlight how the comparison of the environmental impacts of foods via life cycle analyses can change on the basis of the functional unit used, particularly the use of mass as opposed to nutrient content or nutrient richness. We review the literature on the affordability of nutrient-adequate diets, demonstrating the presence of both plant- and animal-sourced foods in affordable nutritious diets. Finally, we address the potential of alternative food sources that are gaining momentum, to ask where they may fit in a sustainable food system. We conclude that there is a clear place for both plant- and animal-sourced foods in future sustainable food systems, and a requirement for both for sustainable global nutrition; as such, the two groups are complementary and not competitive.

Details

ISSN :
18365787 and 18360939
Volume :
62
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Animal Production Science
Accession number :
edsair.doi...........bd30d991ddc27bf5f51e212f37697e20
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1071/an21235