2 剑桥大学对于新冠后对肉类消费影响的预测
2 剑桥大学对于新冠后对肉类消费影响的预测
2 剑桥大学对于新冠后对肉类消费影响的预测
1017/S136898002000316X
Commentary
Submitted 12 June 2020: Final revision received 6 August 2020: Accepted 10 August 2020: First published online 12 August 2020
Abstract
Since its recent onset, the COVID-19 pandemic has altered the daily lives of mil-
lions around the world. One area particularly affected is our diets, with food supply
chain disruptions, media coverage of food safety issues and restaurant closures all
influencing consumer dietary behaviour. Given this situation, we pose a timely
question – what is the impact of the current pandemic on longer-term meat con-
sumption patterns? This issue is pertinent given accumulating evidence that over-
consumption of meat, particularly red meat, is associated with negative
environmental and health outcomes. Here, we discuss how the current pandemic
has already begun to shift public awareness of illnesses linked to animals and has
resulted in short-term changes in patterns of meat consumption. Past zoonotic out-
breaks, such as SARS and swine flu, are also referred to, and we find that these led
to similar short-term reductions in meat intake, a shift in the type of meat chosen
and longer-lasting impacts on consumer perceptions of the health risks associated Keywords
with meat. We conclude that, if immediate changes in eating patterns as a result of Nutrition
COVID-19 are retained in the longer term, one possible opportunity to emerge Sustainability
from the current pandemic may be a shift away from overconsumption of meat, Diet
leading to potential health and environmental benefits in the longer term. COVID-19
Zoonosis and animal-based foods involves experts across a range of sectors working together
to promote better public health by focusing on risks that,
The term ‘Zoonosis’ entered our common vocabularies in just like COVID-19, lie at the intersection of human and
2020 with onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Until this year, animal health and the environment(3).
the notion that infectious diseases could originate from ani- However, it is not just the close link between animals
mals was unknown to many. This is despite recent esti- and infectious diseases that people are often oblivious
mates indicating that about six out of every ten known to. For many, the basic notion that many of the foods we
infectious diseases in humans come from interactions with commonly eat come from animals is unclear. And who
animals, while three out of every four emerging infections can blame them? Burger patties and battered nuggets are
are predicted to be zoonotic in future(1). Such high likeli- hardly recognisable as parts of cows or chickens, while cuts
hood of between-species disease transmission poses a con- of meat are given names like ‘steak’, ‘sausage’ or ‘fillet’, dis-
siderable threat to human health, wellbeing and economic sociating them from their animal source(4). This disconnect
prosperity, especially given research to suggest that there is reflected in the findings of a 2017 British Nutrition
are about 1·7 million undiscovered viruses currently hosted Foundation survey of 27 000 children in the UK, indicating
in wildlife(2). It is for this reason that the WHO is now that misconceptions about food are common. Nearly, a
emphasising the need for countries to adopt OneHealth third of those questioned believed cheese came from plants
approaches in their planning and action agendas. This and 14 % were unaware that bacon is part of a pig(5).