Nutrition

Healthy Diets. The United Nations (UN) – in collaboration with the EAT-Lancet Commission and the US activist Alec Baldwin – published in early February a report that analyzes the possibility of producing food for 10 billion people in 2050, without affecting the environment. To achieve this, the document sets out two clear objectives: establish healthy diets and achieve sustainable food production. This necessitates the adoption of diets that are higher in vegetable- and lower in animal-derived products, which would have benefits for both human health and the environment.

A transformation such as this would require the world population to more than double its consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds, while at the same time cutting its intake of red meat and added sugars by over 50%. These data correspond to a global level picture and the changes in eating habits apply mainly to the countries with the most resources. For the EAT-Lancet commission, “hard work, political will and sufficient resources are required, as the data is sufficient and solid to justify immediate action”. The proposal of this entity is to reach commitments at the national and international levels, in such a way that a change towards healthy diets allows reorienting agricultural production and focusing it on the elaboration of healthier foods. This would also cut food waste by at least a half.

Baldwin warned that food production is the major cause of land conversion and forest loss. In addition, he indicated that the report seeks to feed humanity with existing agricultural lands and adopting a strategy called “Half Earth” (preserves at least 80% of pre-industrial species and protects the remaining 50% of the Earth as intact ecosystems). The analysis contends that we do not need more land to feed the world and proposes to transform agricultural production, moving from an increase in food processing to a higher quality food production.

In order to achieve the objectives of the “Half Earth” strategy, it would be necessary to reduce food waste by 30%, as well as to reduce meat production. One-third of the world’s arable land is used to feed cows and, for example, red meat production in the United States is five times higher than recommended in healthy diets. Achieving these goals would bring health benefits to people and the planet, according to the report.

Next Steps

The UN-led report aims to get the global population to adopt healthy diets from sustainable food systems to safeguard our planet and improve the health of millions of people. This would prevent serious environmental degradation and close to 11 million human deaths per year as a result of climate change. However, meeting these goals requires major food transformation and widespread action on several levels: a substantial global shift to healthy eating patterns; major reductions in food loss and waste; and major improvements in food production practices. The report notes that food will be a defining theme of the 21st century, which can harness the potential of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDOs) and the Paris Accord – as long as there is political will and sufficient resources for it.