Planetary Talk: Healthy Diet from Sustainable Food System

Healthy food is a key to optimize human health and achieve environmental sustainability on Earth. However, current transition and practices in food production and consumption are threatening both people and planet. Therefore, taking “earth system approach” in defining a sustainable food system is crucial. The EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy Diet and Sustainable Food System recently published a report in 2019 that defined a planetary healthy diet, as a global reference diet for adults, that is healthy for humans and avoid environment degradation to the planet. Shifting into healthier diet based on this reference is likely to result in substantial health benefit and predicted to reduce rates of malnutrition, non-communicable diseases, and about 20% of annual premature death among adults. A set of actions was proposed by the Commission to meet the scientific targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production that allow to stay within the safe operating space for food systems. This action requires a combination of substantial shifts toward great variety of plant-based dietary intake, significant reductions in food losses and waste, and major improvements in food production practices. The Commission proposed five potential strategies for food system transformation. More information on this report can be found in Willet et al. Food in Anthropocene. The Lancet, 2019. Feb 9;393(10171):530.