{"id":17530,"date":"2021-10-11T11:15:09","date_gmt":"2021-10-11T09:15:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/?p=17530"},"modified":"2021-10-11T11:18:59","modified_gmt":"2021-10-11T09:18:59","slug":"un-meat-free-diets-lead-to-malnutrition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carnisostenibili.it\/en\/un-meat-free-diets-lead-to-malnutrition\/","title":{"rendered":"UN: meat-free diets lead to malnutrition"},"content":{"rendered":"

According to the recent UN Nutrition Report, the constantly rising chorus of criticism and attacks against agriculture and livestock farming in the West threatens the health of the world’s poorest.<\/em><\/p>\n

There is no more room for doubt or lies: a diet without meat leads to malnutrition<\/strong>. This is the news reported these days by The Guardian<\/a>, referring to the increase in poverty<\/strong> in developing countries following the pandemic<\/strong> and the continuous attacks on livestock<\/strong> farming in the Western world. Although some people seem convinced of the contrary, these attacks only risk worsening the situation.<\/p>\n

In 2020, the Guardian reports that the number of people in extreme poverty<\/strong> increased by 97 million<\/strong> and the number of malnourished people<\/strong> between 118 and 161 million<\/strong>. Recent data from the World Bank and the UN show how poverty is heavily concentrated in rural communities<\/strong> in Africa, Asia, and South America. The pandemic has erased years of progress.<\/p>\n

Livestock is essential for half a billion low-income families<\/strong> in developing countries<\/strong> to prevent poverty and malnutrition. Cattle, swine, goats, sheep, chickens, and camels<\/strong> are considered by many families as their most important assets, source of economic livelihood, and nutrition, ensuring that their children<\/strong> do not grow up malnourished.<\/p>\n

The importance of meat<\/strong> and animal products to prevent malnutrition<\/strong> is now widely demonstrated<\/a> and communicated by all doctors and nutritionists. Nevertheless, Africa’s average apparent meat consumption<\/strong> is only around 10 kg per year<\/strong>, and for many, it is even lower, against the European average that consumes 69 kilograms. In 2020, 149 million children<\/strong> under the age of five will be affected by malnutrition<\/strong>. It is dramatic to know that we could avoid that<\/a> simply with increased access to meat and animal source foods.<\/p>\n

The constantly rising chorus of criticism against agriculture and livestock farming in the West <\/strong>is a threat to the health of the world’s poorest also emerges from the recent UN Nutrition report<\/a>. This is a 2021 UN document on animal nutrition and sustainable healthy diets, which has as co-author Lora Iannotti<\/strong>, a specialist in infant and maternal nutrition<\/strong>. This report shows that for a significant portion of malnourished people, meat<\/strong>, milk, and eggs are a source of essential nutrients<\/strong> that plant foods cannot offer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dr. Iannotti’s research shows that modest portions of meat and nutrient-dense animal products<\/strong> are particularly effective among young children in preventing or addressing chronic malnutrition<\/strong>. The high concentration of essential nutrients in meat<\/strong> and animal foods is practically impossible to replicate in plant-based foods<\/strong>. For this reason, meat and animal source foods are necessary and very valuable during critical stages of life, such as adolescence, pregnancy, and lactation.<\/p>\n

Some farms in Uganda<\/strong> are already practicing the basics of sustainable farming<\/a>, using swine dung as fertilizer to feed the worms, which in turn constitute nourishment for chickens. Cattle<\/strong> manure is used to produce biogas<\/a>, renewable fuel to cook food and provide electricity to farms \u2013 just one example of a sustainable approach to farming that is good for the population and the planet. In this regard, the creative and innovative solutions<\/strong> are endless. However, targeted government investments<\/strong> and policies<\/strong> are needed encouraging wider adoption of livestock farming<\/strong> of this type and not absurd bans or heavy anti-meat attacks<\/strong> that risk leaving millions of people behind.<\/p>\n

This autumn, two key events could generate support for more sustainable food systems: the UN Food Systems Summit<\/strong> and the UN Climate Summit<\/strong> (COP26<\/strong>) in November. Through the latter, world leaders aim to make significant investments in helping rural farming communities<\/strong> to counteract the climate crisis.<\/p>\n

We hope that this opportunity will not be wasted. We could finally understand that sustainable farming<\/strong> is a powerful weapon to help a significant part of the world’s most vulnerable communities improve people’s health and lives. Livestock is not the problem<\/strong> but part of the solution<\/a> to the climate crisis, the progress, and well-being of populations that, otherwise, would become increasingly poor and hungry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

According to the recent UN Nutrition Report, the constantly rising chorus of criticism and attacks against agriculture and livestock farming in the West threatens the health of the world’s poorest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17532,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[680],"tags":[4215,4218,4214,4216,4217],"class_list":["post-17530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-safety-security","tag-attacks-on-livestock-in-western-countries","tag-lora-iannotti-en","tag-malnutrition-in-poor-countries","tag-sustainable-livestock-farming","tag-un-nutrition-report-en"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t