Abstracts - Nutrition

This article is a synthesis of session 3 of the FAO Global Conference on Sustainable Livestock Transformation held in Rome in September 2023. The aim was to engage in a dialogue on innovations and pathways to efficiently produce more nutritious, safe and accessible animal-derived food with a reduced environmental footprint, and to foster dynamic and diversified local livestock systems more resilient to economic shocks and climate-related disruptions. This article is a translation of the conference session, which focused particularly on meat and the theme of “better nutrition”. Topics covered included: “Animal source food for human nutrition and health”; “World Health Organisation guidelines and consumption of animal source food”; “The drivers of supply and demand for terrestrial animal source foods”; “ensuring the safety of animal source foods”; and “cell-based food: promises and reality”.

Shifting towards a more plant-based diet, as promoted in Western countries, will reduce the animal protein contribution to total proteins. Such a reduction may not only impair protein adequacy, but also the adequacy in other nutrients. Using dietary data from a French, cross-sectional, representative survey, we determined for five French subpopulations (namely 1) women < 50 y; 2) women 50–64 y; 3) women ≥ 65 y; 4) men < 65 y; and 5) men ≥ 65 y), the minimum total protein level and the minimum animal protein contribution to total proteins that are compatible with the fulfilment of all nonprotein nutrient-based recommendations. For each subpopulation, linear programming optimization was used to assess the minimum protein level (model set #1) and the minimum animal protein contribution to total proteins (model set #2) compatible with the fulfilment of all nutrient-based recommendations (except proteins, for which levels were analysed as outputs). Total diet costs were not allowed to increase. Eating habits were considered in model set #2 only. The minimum amount of protein that was theoretically compatible with the fulfilment of nutrient-based recommendations (model set #1) was below the minimum recommended protein intake for all subpopulations except women < 50 y. In model set #2, for women and men ≥ 65 y, decreasing animal protein contributions to total proteins below 55% and 60%, respectively, led to protein levels below recommended levels. For the other subpopulations (women < 50 y, women 50–64 y, and men < 65 y), the lowest animal protein contributions to total proteins compatible with a nutritionally adequate diet (including protein adequacy) were 55%, 50%, and 45%, respectively.

Consumption of meat products has been declining for some years among children and adolescents, motivated by moral and environmental arguments. The supply of properly absorbable iron is the main nutritional benefit of meat. To cover their iron needs, the French Society of Pediatrics recommends that children and adolescents consume 2 meat products per day. The risks of iron deficiency with its haematological, immunological and neuro-psychic consequences are increased in those who do not respect this recommendation. There are no documented risks in pediatrics associated with consumption of meat products at such recommended amounts. There is an urgent need to reverse the trend among young people to reduce their meat consumption.

The main objective of this work was to study the nutritional quality of pork produced in Ivory Coast by pig farmers in Korhogo. This study involved blood samples of pigs from two categories of piggeries. Some pigpens were completely covered and other were partially covered. For each sample, vitamin D3, calcium, phosphorus and magnesium were measured. The concentration of vitamin D3 in pigs from fully covered pigpens was low (6.19 ng/mL) compared to the concentration of vitamin D3 in the blood of pigs from partially covered pigpens (109.69 ng/mL). According to these results, since sunrise induces the synthesis of vitamin D3 in the body of pigs, covered pigpens are not recommended for pig farmers in Korhogo. Thus, the main recommendation should be to open the pigpens for sunrise or to provide vitamin D3 in animal feed.