BBC Science Focus reports:

A major report on the global food system has found that less than 1 per cent of the world is eating a diet that’s good for the planet and human health.

But switching to a healthier eating pattern could prevent up to 15 million premature deaths per year, while cutting global greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 per cent.

These are the findings of a report by the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission. The report brings together the expertise of nutritionists, climate scientists, economists, doctors, social scientists and agriculturalists from more than 35 countries around the world.

The team assessed the impacts of the food system on human health and the environment, concluding that food production was jeopardising five Earth systems that must be kept in balance for the survival of the human race.

These five threats are the climate, land, water, nitrogen and phosphorus pollution, and human-made pollution such as pesticides and microplastics.

But, if the food system changed to provide us all with healthier diets, we could restore these systems to safe levels – while improving human lives.

“If everyone ate a healthy diet, we would be able to feed 10 billion people in 2050 with 7 per cent less land than we use today,” study author Dr Fabrice DeClerck, chief science officer at EAT, told BBC Science Focus. “Never in the history of human food production have we occupied less of a resource to feed more people.”

The scientists estimated that 6.9 billion people were overconsuming food – specifically, meat, dairy, sugar and ultra-processed food – while 3.7 billion people struggled to access healthy food. [Continue reading…]