Paper urges Governments to amend dietary guidelines for health of people and planet
Governments across the world need to move beyond rhetoric and implement dietary guidelines that promote both health and sustainability, a study sponsored by ProVeg International and published in the Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, states.
Clear, evidence-based guidance on plant-rich diets will be instrumental in empowering individuals to make choices that benefit both human and planetary health, the study, called Towards more balanced dietary guidelines: connecting climate, culture, and nutrition1, concludes.
Lead author, Anna-Lena Klapp, who is also Head of Research at ProVeg, carried out a large-scale evaluation of national food-based dietary guidelines (FBDGs) that show these guidelines still primarily promote the consumption of animal-sourced foods.
“Most guidelines recommend mainly animal-sourced foods in the protein group and present milk and dairy as a standalone food group without providing any information about alternative, plant-based food choices,” Klapp states.
“While animal-sourced foods can represent an important nutrient source, overconsumption, and intensive animal agriculture also contribute to the major global challenges that humanity is currently facing, including climate change and biodiversity loss, animal welfare, and public health.
“As nations gather in Brazil in November for the COP30 climate summit, they will be discussing how emissions from the food system can be reduced. Dietary guidelines are one of the tools that can effectively help achieve this,” she adds.
Study’s key findings and the crucial gaps
Key findings from the study, which evaluated guidelines from 100 countries, found the following:
- 18% of FBDGs do not even mention plant-based sources of protein.
- 30% do not mention plant-based sources of iron.
- 39% do not discuss plant-based sources of calcium.
- 60% of FBDGs contain no position on vegetarian diets (including vegan diets) even though 1·5 billion people worldwide follow some form of vegetarian diet.
The paper identifies the following five “crucial gaps” that need to be addressed to steer guidelines in a more healthy and sustainable direction:
- More inclusive food-group classifications are needed that accommodate plant-based protein sources;
- Clearer recommendations are required for limiting the consumption of animal-sourced foods for health and environmental reasons;
- Guidance is needed on obtaining essential macro- and micronutrients from plant-based sources;
- Plant-based alternatives to animal-based foods need to be included within dietary recommendations; and
- FBDGs need to provide comprehensive advice on well-planned vegetarian and vegan diets.
“Addressing these gaps is crucial to ensuring that FBDGs remain relevant to a broad spectrum of dietary preferences, including those motivated by ecological, ethical, religious, and cultural factors,” Klapp said.
Animal-based foods impact
The paper notes how the livestock sector has the greatest environmental impact in the food system, contributing to higher greenhouse gas emissions, greater land and nitrogen use, and substantial negative effects on biodiversity.
The livestock sector accounts for about 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions, with animal-sourced foods responsible for close to 60 % of food-related emissions.
In addition, overconsumption of meat, in particular red and processed meat, is associated with an increased risk of obesity, CVD, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer, the study states.
ENDS
Footnotes
- Cite this article: Klapp A-L (2025). Towards more balanced dietary guidelines: connecting climate, culture, and nutrition. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society, doi: 10.1017/S0029665125100670
Notes to Editors
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For scientific data, see our Food System Data website.
About ProVeg International
ProVeg International is a food awareness organization with the mission to replace 50% of animal products globally with plant-based and cultivated foods by 2040. Our vision is a world where everyone chooses delicious and healthy food that is good for all humans, animals, and our planet.
