Latest from Food Politics: The new EAT-Lancet report: "predominantly plant-based"

The EAT-Lancet Commission has released its updated report on “healthy, sustainable, and just food systems. ” Let me point out immediately that the report was written by a great many authors (I could not easily count them), is 76 pages long, and is ...

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By Marion Nestle October 07 2025 The new EAT-Lancet report: “predominantly plant-based” The EAT-Lancet Commission has released its updated report on “healthy, sustainable, and just food systems.” Let me point out immediately that the report was written by a great many authors (I could not easily count them), is 76 pages long, and is pretty much impenetrable without a lot of hard work. As it did in its first report in 2019, the Commission’s report defines a Planetary Health Diet (PHD), which represents a dietary pattern that supports optimal health outcomes and can be applied globally for different populations and different contexts, while also supporting cultural and regional variation…The PHD is based entirely on the direct effects of different diets on human health, not on environmental criteria….[It] emphasises a balanced dietary pattern that is predominantly plant-based, with moderate inclusion of animal-sourced foods and minimal consumption of added sugars, saturated fats, and salt. The report offers “eight solutions and 23 actions to enable food systems transformation, which can be organised into coherent bundles of interventions that simultaneously advance health, environmental, and justice goals.” It notes as one of the major barriers to achieving this dietary pattern, the exercise of corporate power in ways that undermine public interests. The high degree of corporate concentration across food systems remains an intractable governance issue, which is partly due to the vast influence of large transnational food and beverage companies with considerable power. Vox was kind enough to produce this explanatory chart.CNN quotes author Walter Willett: “A diet good for both people and the planet focuses on fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains — a moderate amount of meat and dairy — and very little added sugar, saturated fat and salt…When it comes to meat and dairy, think one plus one, Willett said — one daily serving of dairy, such as milk or yogurt, along with one daily serving of an animal protein such as fish, poultry, eggs or meat. Red meat (beef, lamb and pork) should be limited to a 4-ounce serving only once a week, however, due to its impact on overall health. The Guardian: ‘Planetary health diet’ could save 40,000 deaths a day, landmark report finds The diet – which allows moderate meat consumption – and related measures would also slash the food-related emissions driving global heating by half by 2050. Today, a third of greenhouse gas emissions come from the global food system and taming the climate crisis is impossible without changing how the world eats, the researchers said. Food production is also the biggest cause of the destruction of wildlife and forests and the pollution of water. AP News: About 15 million deaths could be avoided each year and agricultural emissions could drop by 15% if people worldwide shift to healthier, predominantly plant-based diets, according to the EAT-Lancet Commission, which brought together scientists worldwide to review the latest data on food’s role in human health, climate change, biodiversity and people’s working and living conditions. Comment: The recommended diet for health—and also the planet and food justice—is extremely low in meat by U.S. standards.  It also directly opposes the MAHA movement’s emphasis on meat, beef tallow, and full-fat dairy, and its disapproval of seed oils and plant-based diets (these, according to the Secretaries of USDA and HHS, reflect “left-wing ideology”). Will the forthcoming dietary guidelines reflect the views of the EAT-Lancet Commission?  I doubt it.  But we shall soon find out. Resources The EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy, sustainable, and just food systems, 2025.  Lancet editorial: A global and just future for food.  EAT–Lancet Commission 2.0: securing a just transition to healthy, environmentally sustainable diets for all, 2023. Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems, 2019 The post The new EAT-Lancet report: “predominantly plant-based” appeared first on Food Politics by Marion Nestle      Related Posts Weekend reading: Food Intelligence Alcohol industry lobbying scores wins against Dietary Guidelines The diets of most Americans do not meet dietary recommendations   Coming Soon: What to Eat Now My new book What to Eat Now is a field guide to food shopping in America, and a treatise on how to eat well and deliciously. Forthcoming November 11, 2025 For more information and pre-orders, click here. You can explore the full archive of this (almost) daily blog at foodpolitics.com, where you'll also find information about my books, articles, media interviews, upcoming lectures, favorite resources, and FAQs. 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