EAT Lancet 2.0 Reaffirms Plant-Forward Diets Will Future-Proof Our Food Systems
The newly released 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable and Just Food Systems report sends a message that is as urgent as it is optimistic: We already know what a future-proof global food system looks like. We just need to build it.
As the World Economic Forum recently put it, “our current food systems are no longer fit for purpose” Put another way, our model is not ‘broken’ as we often hear, it’s working as designed but based on needs of the past that don’t reflect today’s global challenges. Much of our current systems can be traced back to the Green Revolution and federal policies implemented by Nixon’s Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz, whose mantra to U.S. farmers in the early 70s was to “get big our get out” paired with a directive to plant crops, especially corn, “fencerow to fencerow”.
In the 50 years since, global food production and processing boomed, though agricultural goals focused chiefly on quantity of calories rather than quality. Despite eye-popping yield improvements, nearly one-third of the global population is food insecure today. Diet-related diseases like diabetes, heart disease and obesity continue to rise, with more children around the world now obese than underweight. Climate shocks, geopolitical conflict, and supply chain volatility continue to disrupt food availability, drive up prices, and uproot agricultural traditions. Meanwhile, in the U.S., the median farm-only income in 2024 was negative $1830. The polycrises of today were not predicted in the policies of the past; but growing political will, global cooperation, and an overwhelming body of evidence are fueling change as we speak.
The EAT-Lancet 2.0 report makes clear that transitioning to diversified, predominantly plant-based diets is one of the most effective levers we have to solve these overlapping crises. The report underscores the urgent need to evolve how the world grows, processes, and consumes food to meet not just today’s challenges but prepare for those ahead. And crucially, the updated report centers the roles of culture, affordability, and justice.
How the Planetary Health Diet Fuels Opportunity for Producers
The Planetary Health Diet (PHD) which prioritizes predominantly plant-based eating patterns, sits at the center of the report as an actionable way to help support positive health outcomes and relieve pressure on ecological systems. As the report outlines, by focusing on plant-based foods, “[the PHD] allows flexibility and is compatible with many foods, cultures, dietary patterns, traditions, and individual preferences.” From black beans in Latin America to lentils in South Asia, millet in West Africa, and tofu in East Asia, plant-based staples already exist in every culinary tradition.
Demand for vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, and specialty crops like peas, oats, and chickpeas is projected to grow substantially if there is a cohesive shift to align with the PHD guidelines. For American and global producers facing economic uncertainty, this represents a pathway to diversification and, ultimately profitability. The infrastructure needed spans the entire value chain: expanded production of crops for direct human consumption, research and extension support for agronomic best practices, specialized processing facilities in rural communities, and market connections that give farmers confidence to make the transition.
Building Sustainable Value Chains to Meet the Moment
PBFI and a large ecosystem of partners, including the Plant Based Foods Global Alliance, are working to fill these gaps by ensuring plant-based foods don’t just exist as niche alternatives, but become more affordable and exciting options in stores, schools, hospitals, and restaurants. And central to this work is ensuring farmers everywhere have the support they need to seize market opportunities as demand for vegetables, grains, nuts, and legumes is projected to grow substantially to meet PHD guidelines. What’s needed are bold investment and policies directed at scaling production, bolstering nutrition and making delicious plant sources the easy, default choices in food environments around the world.
PBFI’s Executive Director Sanah Baig attended the launch of the latest EAT-Lancet report at the Stockholm Food Forum and participated in conversations around solutions in real time. “Despite the weight of the world’s food-related problems, the room radiated with radical optimism and a deep commitment to shaping a better shared future. World leaders presented creative solutions from integrating delicious plant proteins into campus cafeterias, to shifting food cultures by training food content creators, to launching specialty crop farmer cooperatives and amplifying frontline workers’ voices in policy development. From Minneapolis and Mexico City, Milan to Mumbai, communities are already leading the way in designing new food solutions that meet local needs while respecting planetary boundaries. But bold financial leadership, especially to support farmer transition and food culture shifts, will be necessary to meet the urgent need for dietary transformation.”
Advancing Nutritional Security and Strengthening Economic Stability
The strength of plant-based value chains also makes them essential for nutrition security and economic stability. The EAT-Lancet report confirms what decades of nutrition science have already built evidence for: plant-based diets reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes while offering complete protein, fiber, iron, zinc, and essential fatty acids when diversified well. Yet most populations fall far below recommended intake levels for fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. This is not merely a problem of demand, it’s a growing issue that underscores systemic access and infrastructure gaps. Expanding plant-forward choices in public institutions, from school meals to military bases to SNAP-approved products, can close these gaps quickly and at scale.
Diversified plant protein production can reduce reliance on fragile global supply chains by supporting more regional bioeconomies from farming to processing to manufacturing. When communities cultivate nutrient rich crops like legumes, nuts, and grains and turn them into culturally-relevant foods, they create reliable, local pathways for healthy diets. This diversity not only stabilizes food availability and pricing during times of crisis but also provides steady markets for farmers and businesses, reinforcing rural economies and national prosperity.
In addition to their public health and economic benefits, plant-based foods are naturally more resource-efficient to produce, requiring significantly less land, water, and energy to deliver essential nutrition than current systems. As demand for food grows, expanding plant-based production helps societies produce more while placing less strain on ecosystems. This balance between food production and environmental stewardship is critical for ensuring that future generations inherit a world capable of feeding everyone without depleting the very resources we depend on.
A Solution Here and Now
Today’s plant-based landscape is not just lentils and salads. It’s soy yogurt, chickpea pasta, mung bean omelets, mushroom jerky, pea-based fillets, and black bean tamales. Startups and legacy food companies alike are reformulating familiar, nostalgic foods with cleaner ingredient lists and lower carbon footprints. Consumers don’t need to change their identity, they need better defaults that align with existing cuisines and cultural traditions. Innovation has dramatically expanded our choices to build on familiar staples like beans and grains. Ongoing research and development continue to improve taste, texture, and nutritional value, making it easier and more appealing for families to integrate plant-based foods into their daily meals.
Transforming food systems requires collaboration and commitment across sectors and borders, and the momentum spurred by the release of this important report sets the stage for meaningful change. Plant-based foods and the protein- and fiber-rich crops that comprise them provide a clear path forward: a way to nourish populations, protect ecosystems, support new markets for farmers, and strengthen resilience in the face of global uncertainty. By investing in plant-based value chains and moving plants back to the center of the plate, we can build a future where everyone can live in a “safe and just food systems space”–not just the fewer than 1% who currently do.
