A balanced diet requires animal proteins as well as plant proteins. At every stage of our lives, animal proteins such as meat, eggs and dairy products are an essential component for the human diet. If animal proteins are neglected in the forthcoming decades, we will be confined to overly restrictive and ultra-processed diets.
We are going through a period when plant proteins are being presented as an alternative to animal proteins and the need for animal products is being questioned. In this context, although the impact of all and every industrial sectors on the environment is beyond denial, many hands are pointing at animal production at the same time, trying to make it the scapegoat. By overemphasizing the effects of animal production on the environment, the issue of artificial meat is becoming one of the popular items on the world agenda. Transforming dietary habits is also a thing of the same fashionable mentality. And in fact, making avoiding animal products the norm is a more critical step beyond this.
However, it is important to remember that plant and animal proteins are complementary to each other, not alternatives. The nutritional value of animal proteins such as meat, eggs and dairy products cannot be ignored at any stage of human life.
Behind a balanced diet lies the adequate intake of organic and inorganic foods needed by the body. In this context; proteins, which are examined under the organic foods, shouldn’t be reduced to a single source and need to be taken in a balanced way. Otherwise, we will be confined to overly restrictive and ultra-processed diets in the forthcoming decades.
On the other hand, it is necessary to look for ways to minimize the environmental impact of animal production in line with the facts of science. In this context, insects, a groundbreaking innovation in circular production model, stand out as one of the alternatives the feed industry has started to evaluate in recent years. In addition, the search for raw materials that are unknown to the feed industry and have less impact on the environment is also noteworthy as another alternative suggested by experts.
Sustainable animal production is essential for a healthy diet. The Youth Conference, which brought together more than 130 Belgian and Dutch feed experts, was a key event for maintaining a balance in protein. The experts expressed a consensus in favor of a correct assessment of the growing population and the demand for protein. At the conference, the importance of making a balanced diet accessible to every consumer in the future has been emphasized.