2025 EAT-Lancet Commission Report

Why in news?

Food systems largest violators of planetary limits: 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission on Healthy, Sustainable and Just Food Systems.

• The 2025 report shows how food systems are at the centre of the overlapping climate, biodiversity, water, and pollution crises.
• Published by – EAT-Lancet Commission.

EAT-Lancet Commission – A global, interdisciplinary group of leading researchers with expertise in nutrition, health, agriculture, sustainability, social justice, and policy.

• Planetary boundaries – Scientifically defined limits to human-induced environmental pressures, limits beyond which the environment will not be able to self-regulate.
• 9 boundaries – Climate change, ocean acidification, ozone depletion, nitrogen cycle, freshwater use, land system change, biosphere integrity, chemical pollution, aerosol loading.

Key Findings

• Planetary Health Diet (PHD) – Developed by the Commission to foster a global shift toward healthy eating and sustainable food systems.
  • Composition - 75% plant-based: fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, whole grains
  • 25% moderate animal-source foods, minimal added sugars, saturated fats, and salt
  • Potential to halve food-related GHG emissions.
• Food systems (largest contributor) – Breaching 5 of 9 planetary boundaries already crossed - includes climate change, land system change, freshwater use, nitrogen cycle, biosphere integrity.
• India-Specific Insights –
  • Poor performance – Nitrogen overloading, pesticide pollution, loss of intact natural land (below 50–60% benchmark).
  • Consequences – loss of ecological functioning, decline in pollination, soil carbon sequestration.
  • Dietary trends (opposite direction) – towards excessive ultra-processed foods, increase in obesity & anemia, widening health inequalities.
• Environmental inequality – The wealthiest 30% of people cause 70% of food-related environmental impacts.
• Safe & Just Space – Less than 1% of the global population lives in a “safe and just space”, where food needs & rights are met within planetary boundaries - highlights the urgent need for justice-centric food system reforms
• Justice-Centric Policy Transformation –
  • Agricultural policy must prioritize fair livelihoods, not just yield or efficiency.
  • Trade policy should be evaluated based on its impact on producer welfare.
  • Corporate accountability must ensure decent work and transparent supply chains.
• Policy recommendations – Emphasized the importance of everyone’s right to healthy food and called for making the PHD accessible and affordable using policy tools such as subsidies, taxes on unhealthy foods, and restrictions on marketing.

Reference

The Hindu | 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission