EATLancet Commission on Healthy Diets

What Is the EATLancet Commission?

In 2019, the EATLancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health released a landmark report that set out a universal reference dieta planetary health dietdesigned to improve human health while staying within the ecological limits of Earth. The commission brought together more than 30 experts from nutrition, agronomy, ecology and economics, and it was coauthored by the nonprofit EAT Foundation and the medical journal The Lancet.

The core idea is simple: the same foods that protect our health also protect the environment. By shifting to a diet rich in plantbased foods, with modest animalsource foods, we can lower the risk of chronic disease and dramatically reduce greenhousegas emissions, land-use pressure, and freshwater demand.

The Planetary Health Diet: Key Components

The reference diet is expressed in daily servings:

• Whole grains 34 servings (e.g., wheat, rice, oats)
• Fruit 2 servings
• Vegetables 3 servings (including a mix of leafy, cruciferous and starchy veg)
• Legumes 0.51 serving
• Nuts & seeds 0.250.5 serving
• Unsaturated oils 23 servings (olive, canola, nuts)
• Animal protein limited to 0.51 serving of fish, 0.20.3 serving of poultry, and <0.1 serving of red meat per day
• Sugar & refined grains less than 0.5 serving per day

The diet provides about 2500kcal for the average adult, delivering sufficient micronutrients while keeping saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium low.

Why the Diet Matters for Sustainable Food Systems

Health Benefits

Large epidemiological studies link high intake of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes and nuts with lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, type2 diabetes, certain cancers and obesity. The reduction of red and processed meat cuts exposure to saturated fat, hemeiron and potentially carcinogenic compounds.

Environmental Impact

Compared with current global average diets, the planetary health diet could:

• Reduce foodrelated greenhousegas emissions by ~30%
• Cut land use for agriculture by about 20%
• Lessen freshwater withdrawals by roughly 25%
• Lower nitrogen and phosphorus pollution from fertilizers

Economic and Social Dimensions

Transitioning to this diet can stimulate diversified farming, improve resilience of smallholder systems, and reduce healthcare costs linked to dietrelated disease. Yet, equitable access to nutrientdense foods remains a challenge that requires policy support, trade reform and investment in local supply chains.

Implementation Pathways

Achieving the planetary health diet at scale involves coordinated actions across four domains:

1. FoodSystem Policy

• Subsidies and taxes that favour fruits, vegetables and whole grains while discouraging sugary beverages and ultraprocessed foods.
• Regulations on labeling, marketing to children, and animalwelfare standards.

2. Agricultural Innovation

• Support for agroecology, intercropping and regenerative practices that increase yields of plantbased foods without expanding cropland.
• Improved livestock efficiency and alternative protein sources (e.g., legumes, insects, cultured meat).

3. Consumer Behaviour

• Education campaigns that make the healthenvironment link clear.
• Publicfood-service reforms (schools, hospitals, prisons) that adopt the reference diet.

4. Trade & Investment

• Fair trade mechanisms that ensure small producers can meet demand for diverse plant foods.
• Infrastructure for storage, processing and distribution of perishable produce in lowincome regions.

Challenges and Critiques

While the report has been widely praised, several criticisms have emerged:

• Cultural relevance: The diet may not reflect traditional foodways in many regions, risking resistance if presented as a universal prescription.
• Affordability: In lowincome settings, plantbased proteins such as legumes may still be expensive relative to staple cereals.
• Data uncertainties: Some lifecycle analyses used to estimate environmental footprints have limited granularity, especially for fisheries.

Addressing these concerns involves local adaptation, flexible targets, and ongoing research.

Looking Forward

The EATLancet Commission set a benchmark for aligning nutrition and sustainability. Subsequent initiativessuch as the UN Food Systems Summit, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG2 & SDG13), and national dietary guidelines revisionsare increasingly referencing the planetary health diet as a reference point.

Continued progress will depend on:

1. Robust monitoring of diet quality and environmental impacts at the country level.
2. Crosssectoral governance that links health ministries, agriculture, environment and finance.
3. Publicprivate partnerships that innovate affordable, culturally appropriate foods.

Ultimately, the commissions vision is not a rigid menu but a flexible framework that encourages societies to eat more plants, less waste, and live within the planets means.

Further Reading

• Willett, W. etal. (2019). Food in the Anthropocene: The EATLancet Commission on Healthy Diets from Sustainable Food Systems. The Lancet.
• FAO. (2021). Food Systems and Nutrition: Challenges and Opportunities.
• IPCC. (2022). Climate Change 2022: Mitigation of Climate Change Chapter on Food.

All data and recommendations are based on the original EATLancet Commission report and subsequent peerreviewed literature.