Editorial: Quality of animal-source foods related to their production and processing conditions

Abstract

The quality of a food is generally reliant on the attributes that give it the ability to satisfy the stated or implicit needs of a user. The notion of quality has become increasingly complex, especially for animal-source foods. This evolution is paralleling and partially driven by concerns related to their impacts on human health and environment, to farming and food processing practices and to animal welfare. Such concerns, however, are set to play out in a sector marked by a mosaic of very different production and processing models. Consumption practices also change, which comes with a set of (sometimes conflicting) expectations. There is not only a clear demand for convenient ready-to-cook and ready-to-eat meals, which are often (but not always) highly processed, but also for quality labels (including organic), wholesome nutrition, etc. In addition, high levels of red meat and processed meat consumption have become a public health concern. Beyond their role in nutrition (macro- and micro-nutrients), recent public nutrition and health programmes (in UK and France, for instance) recommend limiting their consumption level.