Two Lancet editors make the case for a "great food revolution" - one where food that's healthy for both people and the planet is treated as something everyone deserves access to, not a privilege for those who can afford it.
View or Download the PDF
A Global and Just Future for Food - Lancet, 2025 (PDF, 3 pages)
This one is a big-picture look at the future of food, not personal diet advice - but it rests on the same foundation we keep coming back to: real, whole food matters. Two Lancet editors introduce the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission and make the case for a global transformation in how the world grows and shares food.
Dr. Hammer's 5 Second Takeaways
Eating for your health and for the planet point the same direction
Here's the reassuring part: the way of eating that's best for your body is also the one that's best for the planet. You don't have to choose between the two - they line up. That means the choices you make for your own health are quietly doing double duty.
The "planetary health diet" is mostly plants and whole foods
Picture a plate built mostly on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts, with modest amounts of animal foods. It isn't a fad or a rigid rulebook - it's the same real, minimally processed food pattern the science keeps landing on, described at a global scale.
Put it into action: Crowd your plate with more whole, minimally processed plants this week - no full overhaul required.
Fairness is the new heart of it
The biggest shift from the original 2019 report is what the authors call "food justice" - the idea that healthy, nourishing food shouldn't be a luxury only some can afford. The earlier version was criticized for feeling out of reach, and this one is deliberately built to answer that.
How the world produces food is a massive driver of the planet's health
Our food systems are tied to breaching five of the six planetary limits we've already crossed, and account for at least 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. That's why the authors argue food belongs at the center of global policy rather than treated as a side issue.
Know what this is - and what it isn't
This is a policy and food-systems argument aimed at governments and institutions, not a meal plan for your week. The value for you is the through-line it keeps confirming - real, minimally processed food - rather than any specific set of rules to follow.
Go to the Source:
This summary is drawn from a short 2025 Lancet editorial, "A global and just future for food," by editors Tamara Lucas and Richard Horton, written to introduce the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission. The full 3-page article is in the linked PDF above; the complete Commission report is a separate, much longer document.