Going global with food systems

Whilst I normally cover local food and people stories, I thought I would go global for a change.

EAT is a global non-profit that had its inception with the EAT forum in 2014 in Stockholm. It brings together food, health and sustainability on a global scale. The impetus was to address the increasing divide between the haves and have-nots, and the increasing pressures of population growth, climate change, resource depletion and the strain on our natural systems.

Since its inception, it has brought together scientists, politicians, business leaders and producers to transform the global food system.

In 2019, the EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health showed that feeding 10 billion people (the projected world population by 2058) within planetary boundaries is both possible and necessary.

The commission has developed the planetary health diet that is the optimum diet for people (adults) and planet. It is symbolised by a plate that is half fruit and vegetables and the other half whole grains, plant proteins (beans, lentils, pulses, nuts), unsaturated plant oils, modest amounts of meat and dairy and some added sugars and starchy vegetables.

The diet is flexible around dietary needs, personal preference and cultural traditions. Vegetarian and vegan diets are personal choices within the planetary health diet.

The Food, Planet, Health report states: "Transformation to healthy diets by 2050 will require substantial dietary shifts. Global consumption of fruits, vegetables, nuts and legumes will have to double, and consumption of foods such as red meat and sugar will have to be reduced by more than 50%. A diet rich in plant-based foods and with fewer animal-sourced foods confers both improved health and environmental benefits."

Find some planetary health diet-friendly recipes here