UN Food Systems Summit Offers Some Positive Takeaways for Animal Agriculture

The United Nations Food Systems Summit, held virtually on Sept. 23, was designed to "set the stage for global food systems transformation" by establishing sustainable agriculture and food distribution goals to be achieved by 2030.

Cheyenne McEndaffer, U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) director of export services, explains that U.S. agricultural organizations prepared for the Food Systems Summit with significant caution, due to concerns that it could generate undue criticism of animal agriculture and downplay the nutritional benefits of animal proteins. But McEndaffer says the event served as a strong rallying point for a wide range of agricultural sectors and gave the United States and other food-exporting countries an opportunity to emphasize the importance of technology, innovation and productivity in feeding a rapidly growing global population.

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The U.S. Meat Export Federation (www.USMEF.org) is the trade association responsible for developing international markets for the U.S. red meat industry. It is funded by USDA; the beef, pork, lamb, corn and soybean checkoff programs, as well as its members representing nine industry sectors: beef/veal producing & feeding, pork producing & feeding, lamb producing & feeding, packing & processing, purveying & trading, oilseeds producing, feedgrains producing, farm organizations and supply & service organizations. USMEF complies with all equal opportunity, non-discrimination and affirmative action measures applicable to it by contract, government rule or regulation or as otherwise provided by law. USMEF is an equal opportunity employer and provider.