Global food trade improves diets but red meat imports raise health concerns

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Food, researchers assessed the health implications of international food trade, determining its positive and negative effects on dietary risks and diet-related mortality globally using 2019 trade data. Image Credit: vovidzha / Shutterstock Background Around 20-25% of food for human consumption is traded internationally. While this trade increases food variety and can enhance nutritional security and environmental resource use, it is also linked to environmental pollution outsourcing and potential health risks, like rising obesity. Most studies on trade and health either correlate health markers with trade liberalization or assess how trade affects…