Multifaceted Role of Veterinarians in Mitigating Zoonotic Diseases, Sustainable Livestock Production and One Health Integration

Food security is a broad term; however, a brief definition of food security is the continuous accessibility of adequate safe and nutritious food to swelling population of the world produced under sustainable, equitable and competitive conditions so that, consumers can enjoy a healthy and productive life. Food security has become an inevitable challenge due to population growth over the last few centuries and the change in food preferences of consumers worldwide. The significance of this matter is evident from the fact that it is directly or indirectly a part of UN SGDs and is one of the burning topics recognized by one health approach. Livestock-based food products are essential in ensuring food availability, one of the 4 As of food security. Veterinarians have a crucial role to play in this regard as they are directly linked with the production, processing and marketing of livestock-based products. Additionally, they play a pivotal role in controlling zoonotic food-borne diseases and combating other livestock-associated diseases. Therefore, they should be part of policy-making organizations to overcome the challenge of food insecurity. This paper discusses food security, its public health impact, growing population, food consumption trends and the role played by the livestock in meeting this concern. This paper also discusses food-borne zoonotic diseases and their effects on food safety. Lastly, it stresses the multifaceted role of veterinarians in confronting food insecurity.