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The new EAT-Lancet 2.0 report not only reaffirms the Planetary Health Diet from its first report but also incorporates updated evidence from experts in more than 30 countries. That data points out that people who have adopted the Diet experienced something amazing: a marked reduction of all-cause mortality by 28% percent in large cohort studies. That’s about 15 million deaths that likely would’ve occurred.
And there’s more good news. People who adhere to the Planetary Health Diet have a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, obesity, and several cancers.
And, if you’re a bit wondering about cognitive decline and unhealthy aging, then this report has additional information that you’ll want to check out.
What is the EAT-Lancet Commission? The EAT-Lancet Commission has set science-based targets for food systems that are healthy, fair, and sustainable. Their accomplishments include 12,000 + academic citations, 100+ countries convened at the Stockholm Food Forum to accelerate food systems transformation, and 130 million people in cities pledging the Planetary Health Diet.
Have the recommendations in the report been peer-reviewed? Yes. The report was prepared by a panel that included experts in livestock, economics, nutrition, and climate. It underwent peer review and was funded by organizations including the Rockefeller Foundation and the Novo Nordisk Foundation.
What is the Planetary Health Diet (PHD)? The PHD is a global reference diet that sparks optimal health outcomes. It endorses cultural and regional variations for different populations and different contexts. The PHD is rich in plants: whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and legumes. Only moderate or small amounts of fish, dairy, and meat are recommended. In fact, widespread adoption of the diet would require a two-thirds increase in fruit, vegetable, and nut production and allow for a one-third reduction in livestock meat production, compared to 2020 levels. Added sugars, refined grains, and unhealthy fats are minimized in favor of healthier fats from sources like avocados.
What is the significance of the PHD? The diet’s title reflects evidence suggesting that its adoption would reduce global environmental impacts and nutritional deficiencies consistent with most current diets.
Why is the Commission so focused on the foods we eat? They say concerted global efforts to transform food systems could bring us back within planetary boundaries and cut annual greenhouse gas emissions from food systems by more than half compared with a business-as-usual scenario.
Can you eat meat on the PHD? Yes. The Diet does not exclude meat or dairy products — the foods that cause the highest emissions. However, it does recommend limited portions of those foods — think of it as one glass of milk per day and a couple of servings of meat and two eggs each week, for those whose diets include them. One way to think about this is “all things in moderation” — animal-sourced foods should be optional, moderate, and limited to one serving per day of dairy and animal protein.
Is this the first time the Commission has issued dietary recommendations? No. The first EAT-Lancet diet in 2019 went beyond traditional understanding of dietary guidelines by considering not only the nutritional needs of individuals but also the environmental impact of our food choices. In fact, report 1.0 was so important it was cited over 10,000 times in subsequent studies and influenced national policies, UN processes, and city-level actions.
How is EAT-Lancet 2.0 different? In addition to layers of new research, the 2025 update:
examines the need for justice across multiple dimensions: distributive fairness, the recognition of marginalized communities, and their representation in governance;
focuses on modeling capacity — they’ve incorporated ten agro-economic and environmental models to assess dietary shifts, productivity gains, and reductions in food loss and waste; and,
proposes explicit food system boundaries for climate, biodiversity, land, water and nutrient cycles, directly linking diets to the Earth’s safe operating space.
Aren’t most of the world’s people doing okay with healthy food — both for themselves and the planet? Nope. Actually, fewer than 1% of the world’s population is currently in the “safe and just space” where people’s rights and food needs are met within planetary boundaries. According to the report, currently almost a third (32%) of food systems workers earn below a living wage. Meanwhile, the wealthiest 30% of people drive more than 70% of food-related environmental impacts, and despite global calorie sufficiency more than 1 billion people remain undernourished.
What needs to be done to assure that food systems are healthy for people and the planet? The EAT-Lancet 2.0 report argues that a fairer distribution of resources, benefits, and costs is required to ensure that food systems are sustainable. This includes the social foundations that enable people’s right to food, decent work, and a healthy environment. The Commission maintains that truly effective transformation must consider both social foundations and planetary boundaries to create a safe and just future for everyone.
What forces are inhibiting justice, according to the report? “Power asymmetries and discriminatory social and political structures” are broad categories that prevent more people from living a fulfilled life. Big Ag firms tend to hold such power.
How much of a problem are food systems when we consider global warming? The analysis warns that, even with a complete global transition away from fossil fuels, food systems could still push temperatures beyond 1.5°C. Animal production, for example, is a major source of methane and a drain on land and water resources.
What are the planetary boundaries that the EAT-Lancet 2.0 cites, and why is attention to food systems so important? The planetary boundaries framework defines nine key Earth system processes that regulate life on Earth. The world has already passed six of these nine boundaries: climate, biodiversity, land, freshwater, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, and novel entities (pesticides, antimicrobials, and microplastics). Food systems are the largest contributor to five of these transgressions and contribute around 30% of greenhouse gas emissions globally.
Did the authors give a final admonition about following the Diet? Yes. Meeting these goals requires global action and “transformative change” in both individual and cultural habits, they said. Delivering those changes, the report argues, will require new policies, from subsidy reforms to taxes, to ensure that healthy food is affordable and accessible. They’ll continue to work with a broad network of communities to turn knowledge into meaningful food systems influence and action.
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