Sustainable, safe and ethical food systems through a One Health lens

Defining and facilitating sustainable, safe and ethical food systems in support of human, animal and planetary health is among the greatest challenges facing humanity today. In the 2020s, over 10 per cent of people globally are undernourished and approximately 30 per cent are deficient in key micronutrients. How can we deliver the second Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger for all and achieve food security? The world’s food system is struggling and the number of hungry people is increasing. An integrated approach to health and food and nutrition security is essential to move forward in ways that support transformation of the food system to one that is more inclusive, sustainable, and resilient. Employing a One Health approach can support optimal health outcomes based on a recognition of the interconnections between humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment. Although emergency and prevention activities within sectors may be appropriate for some responses, for complex problems such as chronic hunger and unsustainable agricultural practices, sectoral responses alone rarely deliver sustained positive outcomes. Currently, One Health tends to be implemented through consultation between sectors, but it will become fully functional when circular food, health, and economic systems—based on continual use of materials and products and elimination of waste—are implemented at local, national, and global levels. By highlighting the ways our current challenges are interconnected, One Health points to the need to tackle the various crises holistically in order to avert future health crises, restore a healthy planet, and end hunger.