Animal-Sourced Foods in Ethical, Sustainable, and Healthy Diets
ALEPH2020 - a dynamic white paper on the role of livestock farming in global agrifood systems and diets
“Livestock systems must progress on the basis of the highest scientific standards. They are too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry” (Dublin Declaration).
ASFs and Livestock
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Ethics
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Planet
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Human Health
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Opinion Pieces
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The Dublin Declaration
Read moreThis website dives into the heart of the debate surrounding livestock farming and the place of meat, dairy, eggs, and other animal-derived foods in our diets. It offers a compelling, evidence-based exploration of these hotly debated topics, serving as an indispensable guide for anyone in need of a balanced perspective. As a dynamic white paper, it’s a living resource—constantly evolving with fresh insights and cutting-edge science. Far from a static database or settled dogma, it thrives on new evidence, meaning perspectives and conclusions may shift as our understanding deepens.
Origins and setup of ALEPH 2020
The ALEPH 2020 initiative was launched in 2020, with the support of an interdisciplinary group of internationally recognized experts. The ALEPH acronym refers to Animal-sourced foods and Livestock: Ethics, Planet, and Health. ‘Aleph’ is also the first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, which later morphed into the Greek 'Alpha' and Latin 'A'. Originally, the letter was derived from the West Semitic word for 'ox' depicted in a Proto-Sinaitic glyph, obtained from an Egyptian hieroglyph showing a bovine head. As such, it not only represented a vocal sound and scriptural element, but also notions of strength, vitality, fertility, and generosity. Throughout (pre)history, animals (hunted or domesticated) and animal-sourced foods have always held these connotations.
Recently, however, there is a remarkable tendency to invert their original meaning, especially in the urban centres of high-income countries. Their consumption is increasingly being represented as unethical and harmful to both our health and the planet, to the point that some advocate a diet without or with only low amounts of animal source foods, and in some cases even the end of livestock farming.
We argue that these astonishing claims are not only counter-intuitive but also that their scientific foundations are misinterpreted and presented out of context. By addressing the topics of ethics (animal health), sustainability (planetary health), and nutrition (human health), we claim that livestock and the foods derived thereof have an important role to play in future food systems.