Pandemic prevention and unsustainable animal-based consumption

Abstract

The health, economic and social crisis caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has disrupted lives globally and has had a particularly adverse impact on disadvantaged groups.1 A United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report published in July 2020 emphasized the importance of examining the initiating causes leading to the spread of COVID-19 as a way to prevent future pandemics.1 For example, the zoonotic origin of COVID-19 is hypothesized to have been a wet animal market in Wuhan City, China, where a large number of infected people were exposed during the early stages, with bats and birds being the potential intermediary link between animals and humans.2 Although the current public health response is focused on preventing human-to-human transmission, there is less discourse on how factors at zoonotic origins of the disease can be modified.1 The production, distribution and consumption of animal-based products (such as meat, dairy and eggs) is a major risk for zoonotic transmission.1 Therefore, our perspective is that promoting sustainability, particularly by reducing unsustainable animal-based consumption, must be part of the broader response to reduce the risk of future pandemics. We believe that our current path in relation to animal-based consumption is unsustainable, in that it may accelerate serious risks to human and environmental health. This perspective is drawn from the collaborative and multidisciplinary One Health approach, which focuses on improving the health of people, animals and environments.1 We present dietary patterns, discuss how these trends influence risk of zoonotic transmission and advocate for a reduction in unsustainable animal-based consumption to be included in future research and policy. Diet types and global patterns