Experts outline potential of One Health in food systems

A series of recommendations for a One Health approach in food systems have been made in a mainstream report by an international panel of experts.

Their study, involving an expert from the Division of Global Agriculture and Food Systems, advocates the application of One Health – which collectively considers people, animals and the environment – in delivering changes to develop global food safety and security. 

The Lancet One Health Commission’s report proposes ways to apply the concept to complex global challenges including healthy food systems and non-communicable diseases, as well as infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance. 

In its report, the commission acknowledges that structural reform is needed to optimise human, animal and ecosystem health, and recommends reforms to financial and corporate organisations as part of building healthier, more sustainable food systems.

The report authors call for greater awareness of food production inputs, such as feed, medications, and water sources, as well as food transport and production, as key components of food systems.

In a novel development, the commission makes recommendations for a One Health approach to include non-communicable diseases – chronic conditions such as diabetes – to enable consistent action on risk factors such as pollution, unhealthy diets, and climate change. 

The report also highlights a need for more effective disease surveillance through an integrated One Health approach, despite current disparities in data availability and quality across sectors. 

This would enable monitoring of threats, and determine conditions needed to support healthy, sustainable systems, they suggest.

Experts call for a One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance for improved emphasis on environmental drivers, which vary between high-income and low-and-middle-income countries. 

Recommendations also stress the importance of equitable access to effective antimicrobials around the world.

This includes a steady transformation of local, national, and international budgets, adopting innovative financing and novel economic frameworks to support a One Health approach and encouraging businesses to address the conflict between profit and sustainability from a global perspective.

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