Food systems have the potential to nurture human health and support environmental sustainability; however, they are currently threatening both. Providing a growing global population with healthy diets from sustainable food systems is an immediate challenge: a Great Food Transformation needs to take place.
On January 16, the EAT-Lancet Commission, a group of 30 world-leading scientists from across the globe, released a landmark report on Food, Planet and Health, in which they discuss this Great Food Transformation: “How food is produced, what is consumed, and how much is lost or wasted all heavily shape the health of both people and planet.”
According to the scientists behind the study, this transformation involves two main targets: sustainable production and healthier diets. The EAT-Lancet Commission outlines a planetary health diet, which is flexible and recommends intake levels of various food groups that we can adapt to our local geography, culinary traditions and personal preferences. By choosing this diet, we can drive demand for the right foods and send clear market signals all the way up the food value chain back to farmers.