Food security at risk: the consequences of limiting animal-source foods consumption
Food security, as defined by the FAO, refers to the situation where all people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food for a healthy life. However, over three billion people currently face food insecurity, and nearly one billion are undernourished. Animal-source foods (ASFs), including meat, dairy, and eggs, play a crucial role in reducing food insecurity by providing safe, affordable, and nutrient-rich options.
Food security at risk due to the increasing pressure to limit ASFs
Yet, according to a new study, food security is at risk due to the increasing pressure to limit consumption of animal-source foods. Organisations and researchers are advocating for stricter regulations, higher taxes, and more restricted access to animal-source foods. Groups such as the EAT-Lancet Commission advocate for overriding “consumer whim” to reduce meat intake, while others, including the World Resources Institute, WWF, and CEAP/Guarini Centre, propose a range of strategies from food labelling and dietary guidelines to taxes, bans, and even “meat shaming”. These proposals, if implemented without considering their broader consequences, could jeopardise food security for millions.
On the production side, regulations on animal housing and environmental restrictions are increasingly targeting livestock farming, even though some of the environmental impacts are often misrepresented or overstated. Taxes on these foods, particularly meat, are among the most discussed policy tools. Proposed taxes can be as high as 20% or more. Globally, Animal Source Foods are essential for combating widespread micronutrient deficiencies, particularly in iron, zinc, and vitamin A, which affect over half of women of reproductive age and young children. The authors of the study argue that while efforts to improve sustainability and animal welfare are important, extreme anti-livestock measures risk reducing global access to ASF and worsening food insecurity, especially in the Global South but also increasingly in high-income countries.
Poverty remains a major barrier to food security
Food insecurity is influenced by many interconnected factors across the agrifood system, including availability, affordability, access, quality, and sustainability. Major drivers include poverty, climate change, conflict, and political instability. Policy pressures on livestock can harm small- and medium-scale producers, who are already vulnerable due to poverty and climate challenges.
Poverty remains a major barrier to food security, especially in low-income countries. While extreme poverty has declined globally, restricting animal-source foods could reverse this progress, especially among vulnerable groups that are often overlooked in policy debates. These vulnerable groups include pregnant and lactating women, infants, children, adolescents, and older adults. Life stages that have higher nutrient needs. Animal-source foods provide highly bioavailable nutrients, such as iron, vitamin B12, choline, and DHA, which are essential for development, brain function, and maintaining health.
Evolutionarily, humans relied heavily on animal-source foods, which shaped our biology. Today, they remain crucial during complementary feeding, childhood, adolescence, and older age to support growth, cognitive development and prevent frailty. Plant-based diets may pose risks, such as B12 deficiency, especially during critical periods.
Animal-source food access is highly unequal
Animal-source food access is highly unequal, with high-income countries consuming 30% of their calories from these foods, compared to 5–10% in Africa. In low- and middle-income countries, poorer households have lower intake of dairy, eggs, and meat among young children, leading to diets dominated by nutrient-poor staples. These inequalities, worsened by conflict, disasters, and poverty, can disrupt nutrition during the first 1,000 days, with lasting impacts on health and development.
Food aid programmes often lack animal source foods, instead relying on inexpensive staples with low nutritional value. Factors such as climate shocks and limited support for small-scale producers, including insufficient credit or subsidies, further reduce the availability and affordability of these nutrient-rich foods.
Strict policies targeting livestock can lead to health inequity
Pastoralist and Indigenous communities are crucial for global food security but face growing barriers to accessing animal-source foods. Approximately 200–500 million pastoralists, who manage nearly one billion animals, significantly contribute to nutrition and environmental sustainability in regions like the Sahel. However, climate change, land conflicts, and insecurity have disrupted their traditional diets.
In Kenya, milk consumption among the Samburu dropped from 52% to 10% of calorie intake, leading to undernutrition and child stunting. In high-income countries like the U.S., food insecurity has decreased in recent years due to economic growth, with rates falling by 37% overall and 45% for children from 2009 to 2021. However, proposed taxes and regulations on animal source foods risk reversing progress. Globally, strict policies targeting livestock, often framed in terms of nutrition or environmental goals, can harm both producers and vulnerable populations, especially in low-income countries. These measures must be evaluated not only for their environmental or economic impact but also for their effects on food security and health equity.