"Earlier this month, US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr released new dietary guidelines urging Americans to "eat real food". Rather than consuming highly processed and sugary foods, the guidance recommends that people eat more protein, fruits and vegetables. The guidelines have reignited a long-standing debate over what the best evidence says about healthy diets. Yet the broader environmental footprint of food remains mostly absent from discussions about national nutrition recommendations."
"As an Earth-systems scientist, I have spent years developing the Planetary Boundaries framework, which identifies nine biophysical thresholds that governments must respect to avoid destabilizing the planet. From a planetary perspective, what we choose to eat is not merely a lifestyle choice but a systemic driver of both human and Earth's health. Your lunch matters - because the question of which diets public authorities must prioritize is inextricably linked to the conditions necessary for Earth's stability."
"How food is currently produced and consumed accounts for roughly 30% of global greenhouse-gas emissions, and about 70% of the world's yearly freshwater use is for agricultural purposes. Agriculture is also a leading driver of nutrient pollution and biodiversity loss. Current diets undermine human health. Each year, around 15 million adults die prematurely owing to unhealthy diets. This toll exceeds the annual number of deaths caused by air pollution worldwide."
US health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr released dietary guidelines urging Americans to "eat real food", recommending more protein, fruits and vegetables and less highly processed, sugary foods. The environmental footprint of food is largely missing from national nutrition policy despite agriculture accounting for roughly 30% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and about 70% of yearly freshwater use. Agriculture drives nutrient pollution and biodiversity loss. Unhealthy diets cause about 15 million premature adult deaths annually, exceeding deaths from air pollution. Only about 1% of people live within a 'safe and just space' that meets food needs within planetary boundaries. A planetary health diet was proposed by the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission.
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