World Animal Protection submission to HLPE report on Nutrition and Food Systems
E-consultation on an Issues Note. January 2016
World Animal Protection strongly welcomes the attention of the CFS HLPE to the issue of food systems and nutrition. In general, the questions to be addressed are comprehensive and we would recommend that the focus of the report addresses both issues of undernutrition and over-nutrition (excess consumption), as well as malnutrition, within its remit. We live in a world where diets are rapidly changing, particularly in developing regions, and suffer simultaneous challenges of over- and under-nutrition within populations. This dynamic environment offers significant scope for reshaping food systems to deliver healthy diets for all. As incomes, production bases and food cultures change, the potential for countries to leap from under-nutrition to excess consumption is growing, so clear policy signals are needed urgently.
The extent and role of animal source foods within diets is a priority for scrutiny as livestock are a major part of important food systems, some of which deliver important micronutrients and protein to impoverished diets, others being associated with major health issues of over-consumption and other sustainability impacts. This work should link to the current HLPE report recommendations on sustainable agriculture with reference to livestock. The report should also focus on mechanisms to counter over-nutrition through healthy, sustainable diets, including the balance between animal and plant source foods in sustainably securing nutrition security.
World Animal Protection particularly welcomes the holistic approach of the report to all aspects of the food system, starting from farm level. Animal health and welfare has a major role to play in maximising the achievement of productive and sustainable food systems, especially for small farmers, and its role in delivering these should be explicitly addressed. Definitions of sustainable livestock production systems now routinely include animal welfare as a core, integrated component. Indeed, this is reflected by the Guidelines for Responsible Agricultural Investment adopted by the Committee on World Food Security. Sustainable agriculture is at the heart of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 addressing hunger. The report should emphasise the need to underpin any relevant food system with sustainable livestock agriculture which considers economic, social, environmental and animal welfare components of the food production system.
While the report addresses all aspects of the food system from production level, through processing, marketing and food accessibility, a key focus should be the ability of small scale farmers to deliver local nutrition security and better diets, as their potential to increase efficiency may provide the most effective route to increasing food and nutrition through increased productivity, food safety and quality, and market accessibility. In so doing, it should highlight effective mechanisms for strengthening small scale production so that it survives and prospers, including the transformation of markets to empower small farmers to both invest and benefit from their role in increasing nutrition availability at the local level. This approach is preferable to further maximisation of the most intensive forms of animal agriculture where gains from increasing productivity tail off beyond an optimal level and which can bring sustainability challenges in the form of environmental impact, natural resource use and worse animal welfare.
The role of the food industry in shaping market signals at all points in the food system should also be explored, particularly where the food system (production, processing and retail sectors) is dominated by major national and multinational interests with significant influence on dietary behaviour. Furthermore, the role of consumer concerns in shaping diets should be included. Consumer attention to farm animal welfare concerns is one mechanism to engage people with dietary choices: clear examples include the increased priority placed on farm animal welfare as seen from consumer signals in Europe via the recent 2015 Eurobarometer survey and corporate responses to similar consumer concerns in North America, which have driven concrete action on sustainable food system development.
The report should address the need for policy approaches to achieving healthy diets to cohere with policy signals from other processes that effect the food system. These include those focused on economic development and protection of livelihoods, trade, strengthening human and social rights, environmental protection, climate change mitigation and adaption, biodiversity conservation and natural resource use. This reflects the policy-making environment fostered by agreement and future implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Lesley Mitchell