A new blueprint for global food security
By 2050, everyone on Earth could eat nutritious and culturally familiar food while helping the planet, a new report reveals. The key is adopting a “planetary health diet” combined with reducing food waste and improving sustainable farming. The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diets From Sustainable Food Systems says this strategy could feed 9.6 billion people healthily and fairly.
Experts found that these changes could also cut global food-related greenhouse gas emissions by more than half. Currently, around 30% of global emissions come from growing, processing, and transporting food, as well as from turning forests into farmland.
What a planet-first diet looks like
The planetary health diet centers on fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. It allows moderate meat and dairy intake but limits added sugars, saturated fats, and salt. “This diet supports both people and the planet,” said Dr. Walter Willett, professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Willett recommends one serving of dairy and one serving of animal protein daily, such as fish, poultry, eggs, or meat. Red meat should be limited to around 4 ounces once a week for health reasons. “It’s not about cutting meat completely,” he said. “It’s similar to the Mediterranean diet, with dairy once a day, red meat once a week, and other animal proteins a few times weekly.”
A global shift beyond eating habits
Changing what people eat is only part of the solution, said commission co-chair Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. “We must also reduce food waste and manage land, water, and ecosystems sustainably,” he said. “Healthy food must be both accessible and affordable. That’s the real challenge.”
Industry resistance and misinformation
The EAT-Lancet Commission first released its findings in 2019 with The Lancet medical journal and dozens of international scientists. That study predicted the diet could prevent 11.6 million premature deaths each year. The 2025 update now estimates that number could rise to 15 million lives saved annually. In the United States, roughly 31% of premature adult deaths could be prevented.
The report also says transforming the global food system could save $5 trillion a year by restoring ecosystems, cutting health costs, and slowing climate change. The cost to make it happen would range between $200 and $500 billion.
However, backlash from the meat and dairy industries has already begun. In 2019, the hashtag #YestoMeat spread online to discredit the commission’s findings. “We see a similar pattern again,” Rockström said. “It’s part of a wider denialism against climate science.”
Dr. Willett also mentioned that the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, led by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., promotes a meat-heavy diet while downplaying the climate impact of livestock. “This report is important because it’s built on the best global evidence,” Willett said.
Modeling the planet’s future food system
If current farming trends continue, global agricultural emissions could rise 33% by 2050. Nearly 70% of the world’s ecosystems have already lost more than half their natural space, mostly to farming. The commission says switching to the planetary health diet could reduce emissions by 60% compared to 2020 levels.
Cattle numbers would fall by 26%, freeing 11% of grazing land. “That’s essential,” Willett said. “It could stop deforestation in the Amazon, where forests are cleared to grow crops for animal feed.”
At the same time, fish and aquatic food production could grow by 46%. Vegetable output could rise 42%, fruits by 61%, nuts by 172%, and legumes by 187%. Overall, food prices could drop by around 3%.
The path toward sustainable change
According to commission member Christina Hicks from Lancaster University, the wealthiest 30% of people cause over 70% of all food-related environmental damage. Fewer than 1% of people currently meet their food needs without harming nature.
To fix this, the commission suggests shifting agricultural subsidies from meat and dairy to sustainable crops like vegetables, legumes, fruits, and grains. Taxes on foods high in sugar, salt, or saturated fat could further support healthy eating. “We must also raise purchasing power so everyone can afford nutritious food,” said Line Gordon, director of the Stockholm Resilience Centre.
The commission also urges protecting traditional, plant-based diets worldwide. “We’re not imposing a single global diet,” Willett said. “The planetary health diet allows flexibility. It respects local traditions while promoting small, sustainable adjustments that benefit everyone.”
