Understanding the Intersection of Climate/Environmental Change, Health, Agriculture, and Improved Nutrition: A Case Study on Micronutrient Nutrition and Animal Source Foods

Daniel J Raiten; Lindsay H Allen; Joanne L Slavin; Frank M Mitloehner; Gregory J Thoma; Patricia A Haggerty; John W Finley

doi:10.1093/cdn/nzaa087

Understanding the Intersection of Climate/Environmental Change, Health, Agriculture, and Improved Nutrition: A Case Study on Micronutrient Nutrition and Animal Source Foods

Curr Dev Nutr. 2020 May 27;4(7):nzaa087. doi: 10.1093/cdn/nzaa087. eCollection 2020 Jul.

Authors

Daniel J Raiten¹, Lindsay H Allen², Joanne L Slavin³, Frank M Mitloehner⁴, Gregory J Thoma⁵, Patricia A Haggerty⁶, John W Finley⁷

Affiliations

¹ Pediatric Growth and Nutrition Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH, Bethesda, MD, USA.
² Agricultural Research Service Western Human Nutrition Research Center, USDA, Davis, CA, USA.
³ Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
⁴ Department of Animal Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.
⁵ Ralph E Martin Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
⁶ Office of the Director, Division of Extramural Activities, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA.
⁷ Agricultural Research Service National Program Staff, USDA, Beltsville, MD, USA.

Abstract

With a growing global population, the demand for high-quality food to meet nutritional needs continues to increase. Our ability to meet those needs is challenged by a changing environment that includes constraints on land and water resources and growing concerns about the impact of human activity including agricultural practices on the changing climate. Adaptations that meet food/nutritional demands while avoiding unintended consequences including negatively affecting the environment are needed. This article covers a specific case study, the role of animal source foods (ASFs) in meeting micronutrient needs in a changing environment. The article covers our understanding of the role of ASFs in meeting micronutrient needs, evidence-based approaches to the development of nutrition guidance, the current issues associated with the relation between animal production practices and greenhouse gas emissions, and examples of how we might model the myriad sources of relevant data to better understand these complex interrelations.

Keywords: animal source foods; environment; greenhouse gases; micronutrients; nutrition.

Publication types

Review