At its twenty-seventh session, in October 2020, FAO’s Committee on Agriculture (COAG) requested FAO to produce a “comprehensive, science and evidence-based global assessment of the contribution of livestock to food security, sustainable agrifood systems, nutrition and healthy diets.” This assessment will involve four component documents prepared for consideration by FAO’s governing bodies. A synthesis document will be prepared based on the four component documents. The present document (Component Document 1) is the first part of the assessment and focuses on the downstream impacts of terrestrial animal source food (TASF) on healthy diets for improved nutrition and health. An overview of the approach, scope and timeline of the assessment and of stakeholder involvement in its preparation was agreed by the First Session of COAG’s Sub-Committee on Livestock in March 2022 (FAO, 2022a). The Sub-Committee on Livestock invited Members to provide comments on a draft version of the document, and these have been incorporated into the present version.

Component Document 1 is a synthesis of evidence on TASF’s contributions to human nutrition and health, in line with the mandate from COAG. The document considers TASF within the context of healthy diets and the full array of foods and food groups important to human health, including aquatic animal foods.

The document was prepared through a consultative process involving a team from FAO, a scientific advisory committee and a wider group of technical experts (potential contributors).

Three major themes were identified and these constitute the focus of the three sections of the document: 1. nutrient composition and value of TASF; 2. effects of TASF on health and nutrition over the life course; and 3. food safety and food-borne diseases.

A fourth section focuses on emerging topics related to TASF and describes novel themes in the literature that have prospects for growth and salience in public discourse.