The launch of the EAT-Lancet Commission 2.0 report at October’s Stockholm Food Forum has captured global attention – and rightly so. This updated report provides a clear global reference point for aligning nutrition, climate, biodiversity and justice objectives, alongside a roadmap for feeding nearly 10 billion people by 2050.

The planetary health diet explained

The Commission, composed of leading scientists from around the world, reaffirmed the 2019 EAT-Lancet recommendation of a predominantly plant-based diet rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and seeds. The Planetary Health Diet is designed to be flexible and inclusive, adaptable to vegan, vegetarian, and flexitarian lifestyles, and respectful of diverse food cultures. Experts at the launch emphasised that EAT-Lancet 2.0 is not a rigid prescription but a framework adaptable to diverse cultural contexts.

Health and environmental benefits

If adopted globally, modelling shows the diet could prevent up to 15 million premature deaths each year, reduce chronic disease, and restore ecological balance by cutting food-related emissions by more than a third and easing pressure on land and water resources.

From science to action

Moving from science to action is the next challenge. To support implementation, EAT-Lancet 2.0 is accompanied by sector-specific Action Briefs that guide transformation across the food system.

The EAT-Lancet Commission Summary for and with Policymakers was launched at an October event during the Committee on Food Security in Rome. The brief reflects the recommendations of 84 contributors, including policymakers from over 30 countries. It outlines 34 recommended policy actions to accelerate change and gives practical examples of where they have been used successfully. These include, for example:

investing in strategies and interventions that increase demand for healthier foods
recognising and including traditional healthy foods and diets in food-based dietary guidelines and public procurement programmes (e.g. school meals)
using taxes and subsidies to make unhealthier food and beverages more expensive and healthier foods more affordable
combining regulatory measures that protect natural ecosystems and reduce ‘land and expansion leakage’
developing legal and regulatory frameworks to limit market concentration and ensure transparency in lobbying. Limit industry interference in policy implementation
improving transparency, accountability, and access to information.

Action across the food system

Additional briefs target other food systems actors including food retailers, manufacturers, healthcare professionals, chefs, cities, farmers, and fishers, offering clear actions for each sector to take. Together, these resources provide a comprehensive roadmap for urgent food system transformation.

Compassion in World Farming’s Global CEO has reflections on the launch in his blog.

EAT-Lancet 2.0: A global roadmap for food system transformation