Developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), the plan aims to guide countries and international organizations in strengthening health systems, preventing zoonotic disease outbreaks, improving food safety and integrating environmental considerations.
The four organizations (known as the quadripartite), which originally planned to implement the OH JPA over five years from 2022 to 2026, announced an extension to the plan on Aug. 14. The extension is likely to keep issues including food safety, antimicrobial resistance, environmental health and food-system resilience high on the policy agenda through 2029, with implications for food, ingredient and nutrition businesses.
“The extension gives countries and partners a common framework to continue planning, implementing and scaling One Health priorities across the human, animal, plant and ecosystem interface,” James Edge, digital communications specialist at FAO, said in a statement.
“During the extension period, FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH will also undertake a structured review of the OH JPA—taking stock of progress, capturing lessons learned and good practices, and considering emerging priorities to help inform its next phase.”
Reviewing the One Health joint plan of action
One Health recognizes that human, animal and environmental health are closely connected. It brings different sectors together to protect health and build sustainable, resilient communities. For the food and nutrition sector, this framework can connect issues including ingredient sourcing, product innovation, supply chain resilience and environmental sustainability.
The quadripartite developed the OH JPA and its Theory of Change (ToC) to support One Health by bringing different sectors together to prevent health problems and create healthier, more sustainable communities.
A recent review assessed the practical implementation of the OH JPA, identifying where future One Health programs need more attention. Australian researchers reviewed 54 studies describing 77 One Health programs. Most involved collaboration between the human and animal health sectors. However, none included the environmental sector when assessing effects on human or animal health.
“One Health implementations have been heavily focused on collaboration between human and animal sectors, with minimal engagement of the environment sector,” the researchers wrote. “It is imperative to adopt a comprehensive approach that integrates the environmental dimensions of health.”
Environmental factors can influence the availability, quality, safety and sustainability of nutritional ingredients, making ecosystem health and resilient food systems increasingly relevant to sourcing, formulation and long-term supply security.
Nutrition and One Health
As governments and international organizations consider the next stage of One Health policy, the extension creates an opportunity for food, ingredient and nutrition companies to contribute to discussions around nutrition security, food-system resilience, ingredient safety, sustainable production and the environmental factors that influence human health.
According to Professor Malek Batal, a Canadian nutrition and public-health researcher at the Université de Montréal, nutrition is gaining momentum within the One Health conversation.
In a recent article for the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition FAO Committee, he noted that for years, the One Health agenda centered on zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance, but now, food systems are gaining prominence.
At the recent Nutrition for Growth stock-take side event held on Apr. 6 2026, discussions about the One Health framework positioned nutrition “at the heart of the One Health agenda,” he said
“This reflected a growing recognition that the drivers of malnutrition—whether undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies or obesity—are embedded in broader food systems shaped by policy, markets and power,” he noted.
However, according to a recent paper published in Frontiers in Nutrition, One Health will only succeed if nutrition professionals actively integrate it into practice and take a leadership role in addressing the interconnected challenges of human, animal and environmental health.
“Making One Health explicit in nutrition practice is not about expanding professional scope, but about recognizing, strengthening and strategically positioning existing interventions within an integrated health paradigm,” the authors wrote.
“By embedding One Health into nutrition education, interprofessional collaboration, research and evaluation frameworks, dietitians can move from implicit contributors to intentional leaders within One Health agendas.”