What if improving our health begins with how food is produced?
From crops grown in the soil to the feed given to livestock, every step in the food chain shapes the nutritional quality of what we eat.
Globally, unhealthy diets are linked to around 11 million deaths each year, making poor nutrition a bigger killer than tobacco and road accidents combined.
Against this backdrop, experts are calling for a broader approach to public health – one that looks beyond individual food choices and examines the entire food system.
At the centre of this approach is the Bleu-Blanc-Coeur model, which is being introduced in Malaysia through the Biru-Putih-Hati initiative.
The model links animal feeding practices to the nutritional quality of food, and ultimately, to human health.
Over the past 25 years, evidence has shown that improving animal nutrition can deliver measurable benefits across the food chain.
Bleu-Blanc-Coeur international development manager Jérémie Renaud says this requires a “One Health” approach – a framework that recognises the close interconnection between human, animal, plant and environmental health.
“If we want to tackle this public health issue, we need to return to the roots,” he says.
“The roots are in our soil, agriculture and food systems.”
Influencing fat content
Many of the nutrients essential for human health originate in the soil.
As we all learnt in school, photosynthesis allows plants to convert energy from the sun into nutrients.
“Along this process, there is a generation of nutrient metabolism, including lipids, which are particularly important because they are now challenging our health,” says Renaud.
Central to this are two key fatty acids: omega-3 and omega-6.
Often described as an “inseparable duo”, they play vital roles in functions such as immunity and inflammation, but must exist in the right balance.
“Sometimes they work together, sometimes they compete and rely on the same enzymes,” Renaud explains.
“Yet neither humans nor animals can produce these fatty acids on their own; they must come from the diet,” he adds.
This is where the food chain becomes critical.
“We need to drive these fatty acids throughout the food chain – from soil to plants to animals, and ultimately, to humans.”
Different plants contain different levels of fatty acid profiles.
“All plants contain fatty acids, but not in the same composition,” he notes.
“Ingredients such as corn, soybean and sunflower are rich in omega-6, while grass, flaxseed and canola are higher in omega-3.”
As a result, livestock feed directly influences the omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio in animal products.
In Malaysia, this imbalance is particularly evident in monogastric diets – those designed for animals with a single-chambered stomach, such as poultry.
These diets can produce ratios ranging from seven to 30 – far higher than the optimal balance of around five.
“When this ratio is reduced to roughly three to five, we observe improvements in animal health, as well as nutritional and environmental outcomes,” says Renaud.
“This matters because animal products account for up to 30% of human lipid intake, making the livestock sector a critical point for improving dietary balance and public health,” he adds.
From animal feed to humans
This raised an important question: could changing what animals eat directly influence human health outcomes?
To determine whether the diets of farm animals affect lipid balance in humans, researchers conducted the first clinical study in 1999 to examine how livestock feed influences health.
Seventy-five volunteers took part in a 70-day study involving two 35-day diet phases separated by an 18-day break period.
All the participants followed the same low-calorie diet, consuming identical amounts of eggs and meat.
“The only difference was how the animals producing these foods had been fed,” explains Renaud.
“The control group consumed products from animals fed soybeans, while the test group consumed those fed flaxseed.”
After just 35 days, participants in the test group showed a significant change in the fatty acid composition of their red blood cells.
Omega-3 levels increased by around 120%, while DHA (docosahexaenoic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid) rose by 10%.
At the same time, the omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio fell by half.
After a washout period, allowing earlier effects to fade, the groups were switched, and the same results were observed.
“In just more than a month, you can change your fatty acid composition simply by changing how animals are fed,” he says.
Adjusting the feed
These findings reinforced the importance of maintaining a balanced omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio not only in human diets, but also in livestock feed.
However, many conventional livestock feeds still contain an imbalanced ratio, largely due to the raw materials commonly used in feed formulation.
This is where a modified feeding strategy comes in, an approach focused on improving the balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in livestock production.
At the heart of this approach is linseed, which France-based agricultural company Valorex international sales manager Guillaume Jacques describes as a key ingredient for addressing this imbalance.
“Compared to other fat sources, linseed has a unique fatty acid profile rich in omega-3, making it useful in feed formulations aimed at rebalancing omega fatty acids,” he says.
To maximise its nutritional value, the linseed undergoes a patented extrusion process – a form of pressure cooking – which improves digestibility while reducing anti-nutritional factors.
Research has shown that adjusting animal feed through this strategy can deliver measurable benefits in both livestock health and food quality.
“In layer chickens, egg-laying performance remained comparable to conventional feeding systems, while mortality rates were reduced, particularly towards the end of the production cycle,” Jacques said.
The nutritional quality of the eggs also improved significantly.
Under conventional feeding systems, the omega-6-to-omega-3 ratio in eggs typically ranges between 10 and 30.
However, eggs produced under the modified feeding strategy recorded ratios below five, a level considered substantially more balanced.
Why food choices are complex
While improving the food system is important, food choices are influenced by far more than nutrition alone.
Findings from the Malaysian Food Barometer (MFB) – a survey examining eating habits and attitudes – show that people define “eating well” in different ways.
“For many, health remains the top priority,” says Taylor’s University Master of Food Studies and Gastronomy programme director Associate Professor Dr Elise Mognard.
However, enjoyment and satiety also play a significant role.
“We see that pleasure is more strongly emphasised among the Chinese population, while the idea of ‘filling the stomach’ is more prominent among Indian and Malay communities,” she says.
Over time, the way Malaysians think about food has also evolved.
“We observe an increase in what we call ‘nutritional answers’, where people talk more about nutrients rather than specific foods,” she explains.
At the same time, eating habits are shifting, particularly with more meals consumed outside the home.
Research shows that around 40% of meals are now prepared outside the home, whether eaten at restaurants or ordered as takeaway.
“If we want to change eating habits, we must engage with the food and beverage sector,” Assoc Prof Mognard adds.
“It plays a major role in determining what ends up on our plates.”
Meeting demand for healthier food
As more people become health-conscious, the food industry is also beginning to rethink how food is produced and delivered.
From an industry perspective, DD Fresh Meat Retail Shops Sdn Bhd general manager Mike Yeong notes that consumer preferences are beginning to shift.
“More people are looking for healthier and differentiated food products, although awareness remains limited,” he says.
“Consumers often ask simple questions, such as whether a product is safe or linked to health concerns like cholesterol, but may not fully understand the nutritional differences.”
For producers, the focus is on improving animal health through better feed.
“While costs may be slightly higher, it helps reduce losses and creates differentiation,” he explains.
“Ultimately, improving input quality enhances value and efficiency.”
Renaud, Jacques, Assoc Prof Mognard and Yeong were among the speakers at the One Health on the Malaysian Plate: From Dialogue to Action conference held in Taylor’s University, Subang Jaya, Selangor, on April 14 (2026). organised by Biru-Putih-Hati, the French Embassy Trade Commission in Malaysia and Taylor’s University Culinary Institute.
