Roadmap Series
Food systems: the shifting role of poultry in agriculture and diets
Published on 26/05/2021
How has poultry historically fed into different food systems and what lessons does this offer for the 21st century?
IFPRI-2010/flickr
This event featured panellists Dr Bharati Kulkarni of the National Institute of Nutrition, India, and Dr Johanna Wong, researcher with Supporting Evidence-Based Interventions for livestock (SEBI), at University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. It was moderated by Professor Fiona Tomley of the Royal Veterinary College and Director of the One Health Poultry Hub, and took place on 26 May 2021.
Watch the recording here:
panellists' key messages
- Poultry and other animal source foods provide important nutrients and improve child growth and development.
- Animal protein intake helps maintain muscle mass in adults but consumption should be in moderation.
- Despite increased production, animal source food consumption is still very low in vulnerable groups in many LMICs. Social protection programmes should prioritise poultry food due to nutritional and other benefits.
- The trend towards intensification and commercialisation of poultry production is likely to continue as demand for animal-source foods continues to rise.
- Different poultry production systems have different benefits and trade-offs.
- A One Health approach to generate, synthesise and publicise comprehensive data and evidence is required for consumers, poultry producers, and policy makers of the future to understand and balance the benefits and trade-offs.
Further reading
- Wong J.T. et al (2017) Small-scale poultry and food security in resource-poor settings: A review, Global Food Security
- Wong J.T. et al (2018) Factors influencing animal-source food consumption in Timor-Leste, Food Security
- Dasi T. et al (2019) Animal source foods for the alleviation of double burden of malnutrition in countries undergoing nutrition transition, Animal Frontiers
