Aquatic foods to nourish nations

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Food Systems Analysis
• Aquaculture Research

Background:

• Aquatic foods are often undervalued, reduced to basic nutritional metrics, overlooking their diverse contribution to healthy diets.
• Global food systems face challenges in addressing malnutrition and food insecurity for billions.
• Aquaculture production is a key area for innovation to increase aquatic food supply.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model the future impact of aquatic foods on human nutrition by integrating terrestrial and diverse aquatic food sources.
• To project two scenarios for aquatic animal-source food (AASF) production by 2030: a baseline and a high-production scenario.
• To assess the health impacts and nutritional vulnerabilities associated with changes in AASF consumption.

Main Methods:

• Developed a cohesive model integrating terrestrial foods with nearly 3,000 aquatic food taxa.
• Projected two future scenarios for AASF production up to 2030, including a high-production scenario with increased aquaculture output.
• Analyzed changes in AASF consumption, price, and estimated health outcomes, including micronutrient intake and diet-related diseases.

Main Results:

• A high-production scenario for AASFs could decrease prices by 26% and increase consumption globally.
• Increased AASF consumption is linked to reduced intake of red and processed meats, potentially lowering non-communicable disease risks.
• The high-production scenario is projected to prevent approximately 166 million cases of inadequate micronutrient intake.

Conclusions:

• Expanding aquatic food production, particularly through aquaculture, offers a significant opportunity to enhance global nutrition.
• Policy makers and stakeholders can leverage aquatic foods to combat food and nutrition insecurity and diverse forms of malnutrition.
• Integrating diverse aquatic foods into dietary models is crucial for understanding their full nutritional potential.