Diet plays a critical role in shaping the health and well-being of both individuals and populations
safe diets help to protect against malnutrition in all its forms
as well as noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)
The balance between the amount of foods coming from animals (animal-source foods) and from plants (plant-source foods) is an important component of healthy diets
Animal-source foods are a good source of highly bioavailable protein and key vitamins and minerals
but consumption of certain types and at certain levels has been linked to increased risk of diet-related NCDs
Consumption of plant-source foods has been linked to decreased risk of diet-related NCDs but diets consisting almost exclusively of plant-source foods may increase risk of nutrient deficiencies
A growing body of evidence also suggests that the food systems used to produce animal- and plant-source foods can impact the environment in different and significant ways
including the emission of greenhouse gases and water and land use
parasites or chemical substances causes significant illness and death globally
and both animal- and plant-source foods can be major sources of these contaminants
WHO supports Member States in their efforts to promote healthier
safer and more sustainable diets as a priority through a variety of actions
including the recent release of several relevant guidelines on macronutrient intake and policy actions
activities promoting healthy diets in schools
and provision of scientific advice to the Codex Alimentarius through joint FAO/WHO programs such as the Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) and Joint Expert Meetings on Microbiological Risk Assessment (JEMRA)
and to provide much-needed global guidance on optimal intakes of animal-source foods
WHO has brought together experts from all over the world
with a wide range of relevant expertise to develop: 
guideline development will be carried out by the WHO guideline development group (GDG) and development of the comprehensive implementation framework by the risk-benefit assessment group (RBAG)
These groups will have their first joint meeting São Félix da Marinha
This hybrid meeting will provide an opportunity for the experts to get to know one another
familiarize themselves with various WHO processes and review and discuss current evidence
with an overall focus on laying the groundwork for the development of the guideline and implementation framework
Specific objectives and expected outputs are described below
Attendance at this meeting is reserved for members of the expert group
<a target="_blank" href="/publications/m/item/first-who-meeting-on-optimal-intake-of-animal-source-foods-RBAG-summary-and-conclusions">Risk-Benefit Assessment Expert Group - summary and conclusions</a>
<a href="/groups/guideline-development-group-on-optimal-intake-of-animal-source-foods">Guideline Development Group on optimal intake of animal-source foods</a>