Global guidance on meat and dairy consumption in the works

How much meat should we be eating? Global guidance is incoming

(Image: Getty/Yuki Kondo)

What’s the optimal intake of animal-source foods?How much meat dairy and eggs should people eat – summaryWHO is developing global guidance on meat dairy and eggs intakeAnimal foods provide key nutrients but overconsumption raises health concernsProcessed meats, eggs and dairy linked with cholesterol and heart risksExclusive plant diets may increase nutrient deficiency risks worldwideGuidance also considers environment sustainability and food safety impactsHow much meat should people consume per day or per week? What about dairy? And eggs?

It’s a common question not just on consumers’ minds, but on food manufacturers’.

Should product recipes increase egg content or reduce it? Is dairy consumption ‘in’ or ‘out’? And how much meat is too much?

All this will be answered by brand-new global guidance for animal-source foods that’s currently in the works.

Animal-source vs plant-based foodsThe World Health Organization (WHO) is behind the global guidance. The UN’s health agency has opened a consultation this month to gather as much evidence and insight as possible in the development of its guidelines.

It comes amid growing understanding of the impact of diet on malnutrition and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Animal-source foods are known to be good sources of bioavailable protein, as well as key vitamins and minerals, but overconsumption can be bad news.

Processed meat, red meat and fatty meat are more likely to be on doctors’ hit lists. Eating large numbers of eggs can also be bad for one’s health, due to eggs’ high cholesterol content. And dairy’s saturated fat content could increase heart disease risk.

But inversely, swapping out all animal-source foods for plant-based comes with health risks too. “Consumption of plant-source foods may be linked to decreased risk of diet-related NCDs but diets consisting almost exclusively of plant-source foods may increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies,” explains the WHO.

The optimal intake of meat, eggs and dairyA team of experts recruited by the WHO is responsible for developing the guidance.

Known as the WHO guideline development group (GDG), the team has already determined the scope of the WHO guideline on optimal intake of animal-source foods, after reviewing scientific literature.

Health effects aside, the GDG will also take contextual factors into account, such as environmental impact and sustainability. Microbial and chemical risks associated with both animal and plant-source foods will also be considered.

It’s far from the first time the WHO has set global guidelines on how much to eat of a particular food or ingredient, and how often. The UN agency has done this for protein, fats and carbohydrates, as well as salt, free sugars and overall calories.

The WHO is also in the process of setting global guidance on how much ultra-processed food (UPF) is safe to consume.