Billions of people worldwide lack access to healthy diets while current food systems continue to fuel both disease and environmental decline, according to the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable, and Just Food Systems.
The report, published in The Lancet, builds on the group’s 2019 analysis with new data showing the health, equity and climate stakes of what we eat.
Food production accounts for about 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is a major driver of biodiversity loss, land degradation and freshwater use. Yet nearly half of the world’s 8 billion people do not reliably have access to nutritious food, safe environments or fair wages.
The commission promotes the Planetary Health Diet, a flexible, plant-rich framework that balances fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains and moderate animal products. New evidence shows adherence to the diet is linked with a 27% lower risk of premature death and could prevent about 15 million deaths annually by reducing chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer and type 2 diabetes.
“Food systems are a major contributor to many of the crises we face today, and at the same time, the key to solving them,” said Shakuntala Haraksingh Thilsted, commission co-chair. “The evidence laid out in our report is clear: the world must act boldly and equitably to ensure sustainable improvements.”
The authors stress that dietary shifts alone are not enough. The report also calls for halving food waste, adopting sustainable farming practices, ending the conversion of intact ecosystems and ensuring social justice across food systems. That includes fair wages, safe working conditions and empowering marginalized communities in decision-making.
“The Planetary Health Diet is not a one-size-fits-all approach,” said Walter Willett, commission co-chair and professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. “It allows for cultural diversity and individual preferences, providing flexibility within clear guidelines to achieve optimal health and sustainability outcomes worldwide.”
Modeling suggests that a global transition to this framework, paired with climate policies, could cut food-related carbon emissions by more than half by 2050 and free land for biodiversity restoration. While such changes will require investment, the commission estimates the returns could exceed $5 trillion annually by avoiding health and environmental costs.
“Transforming food systems is a significant environmental and social challenge, but it is a precondition for us to have a chance of returning within a safe climate system and a healthy planet,” said Johan Rockström, commission co-chair.
This work was supported by the IKEA Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Wellcome Trust, The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.