Animal and plant-sourced nutrition: complementary not competitive
Nick W. Smith
A B * , Andrew J. Fletcher A B C , Jeremy P. Hill A B C and Warren C. McNabb A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Riddet Institute, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
B Sustainable Nutrition Initiative, Riddet Institute, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
C Fonterra Research and Development Centre, Private Bag 11029, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand.
Animal Production Science 62(8) 701-711 https://doi.org/10.1071/AN21235
Submitted: 30 April 2021 Accepted: 29 September 2021 Published: 30 November 2021
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
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.
Keywords: animal production, environmental footprints, human health, human nutrition, non-communicable diseases, plant production, sustainable consumption, sustainable diets.
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