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What role can nutrient-rich aquatic foods play in transforming global diets, improving nutrition equity, and promoting sustainable food systems?

This paper, written by CID Faculty Affiliate Christopher Golden and co-authors, evaluates how scaling up the production and consumption of aquatic animal-source foods (AASFs) could improve global nutrition and health outcomes. Using integrated terrestrial and aquatic food system models, the authors project that enhancing AASF production through sustainable aquaculture and fisheries management could substantially reduce micronutrient deficiencies and diet-related chronic diseases by 2030. 

Key Findings:

• Aquatic foods offer unmatched nutrient density: AASF diversity provides superior levels of critical nutrients (e.g., omega-3s, vitamin B12, calcium, iron) compared to terrestrial animal-source foods. Modeling across 3,753 aquatic taxa (organism groups) shows aquatic foods consistently rank higher for nutrient richness.
• High production could lower prices and shift diets: A 15.5 million-tonne increase in AASF supply would lower global AASF prices by 26%, boost consumption, and displace some red and processed meat intake, especially in countries undergoing nutrition transitions like China, India, and Brazil.
• Large public health impacts: Increased AASF consumption would prevent approximately 166 million cases of inadequate nutrient intake globally by 2030, including 76.8 million fewer DHA+EPA (docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid) deficiencies and substantial reductions in iron, calcium, zinc, and vitamin B12 deficiencies.
• Benefits vary by sex and age: Women and girls, young children, and older adults would disproportionately benefit from improved nutrient intake, offering a pathway toward greater nutritional equity. 

Impact and Relevance:

This study broadens the understanding of how aquatic foods can contribute to solving global malnutrition, not merely by supplementing protein intake but by delivering critical, often under-consumed micronutrients. In an era where global food systems focus heavily on terrestrial agriculture, the paper provides a compelling case that aquatic foods, if properly diversified and sustainably expanded, offer an overlooked yet vital strategy for improving dietary quality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries facing the dual burden of nutrient deficiencies and rising diet-related chronic diseases. 
 
The findings also challenge common narratives around sustainability and food security. Aquatic foods typically have a lower environmental footprint than terrestrial livestock, suggesting that scaling up fisheries and aquaculture could simultaneously improve nutrition outcomes and reduce environmental pressures. Moreover, the study shows that increases in aquatic food production could disproportionately benefit nutritionally vulnerable groups (young children, women of reproductive age, and the elderly) advancing not just general public health, but also nutritional equity. 
 
Beyond nutrition, the research offers a roadmap for policymakers grappling with the future of global food systems. By explicitly linking aquatic food diversity, affordability, and health outcomes, it calls for integrating aquatic foods into national dietary guidelines, social protection programs, and climate-resilient food policies. As the world seeks strategies to feed a growing population sustainably, recognizing the full nutritional and environmental value of aquatic foods could be a transformative step toward building food systems that are not only productive but also nourishing and equitable.