Altering Foods Derived from Animals for the Future?

Breeding and feeding of food-producing farm animals has long been mainly oriented to maximising production efficiency. High-yielding dairy cattle and layers produce nowadays cheap milk and eggs respectively, and fast-growing pigs, broilers and beef cattle provide us with lean meat. However, the transition from a producer-driven to a consumer-oriented market forces the animal industry to pay more attention to the sensory and technological properties and the health value of their products. The immense ongoing research on improving the fatty acid composition of animal products mainly through altered feeding strategies is a good example thereof. In monogastric animals, the potential of nutrition for steering the fatty acid composition of raw meats and eggs is now relatively well established, whereas in ruminants the fatty acid metabolism is more complex as a result of the rumen processes. The potential of animal genetics for modifying the fat content and the fatty acid composition of animal products should also be further explored. Animal products are also safe carriers of essential trace elements and other nutrients, and more research for upgrading the value of animal products in this respect is warranted. The effects of altering the composition and properties of raw animal products on the sensory quality and the health value of the end products should be better established. In particular, human intervention studies are required to evaluate the impact on human health of consuming animal products. Overall, a cost-benefit evaluation of the potential contribution of altering raw animal products to improving the health of consumers should be made. It is evident that this requires a fork-to-farm chain approach, taking into account the needs of the animals, the farmers, the food processing industry and the end consumer.