Lancet medical report on healthy diets doubles down on minimal meat-eating call

A healthy diet is 'predominantly plant-based, with moderate inclusion of animal-sourced foods and minimal consumption of added sugars, saturated fats and salt', according to the authors of a report published in medical journal the Lancet. Photo / Getty Images

International experts insisted today that a healthy diet should keep meat to a minimum, doubling down on previous conclusions the food industry had fiercely dismissed.

A healthy diet is “predominantly plant-based, with moderate inclusion of animal-sourced foods and minimal consumption of added sugars, saturated fats and salt”, according to the authors of a report published in medical journal the Lancet.

The report builds on a 2019 study which was met with resistance when it suggested reducing meat consumption to very small portions.

Agri-food federations across the world had rejected the study’s findings, describing them as exaggerated, dangerous or unsuitable for local consumption habits.

But the scientific community had welcomed the recommendations, despite flagging a failure to factor in certain realities, such as how social inequalities hinder access to food.

The commission focused on environmentally friendly and healthy food sources, but the updated “planetary health diet” was the most anticipated aspect of the study.

Experts said they had considered the most up-to-date studies when formulating their recommendations, which ultimately did not differ much from those published in 2019.

Beef, pork and lamb consumption should be limited to 15 grams (0.5 ounces) per day compared to the daily 14 grams recommended last time, they concluded.

Individuals should meanwhile consume 200, 300 and 210 grams of vegetables, fruits and grains respectively per day.

Dairy products should account for 250 grams, and fish or seafood for 30 grams along with white meats like poultry. These figures too largely resemble those from 2019.

Researchers said the diet was strongly linked to “improved health outcomes, large reductions in all-cause mortality, and a substantial decline in the incidence of major diet-related chronic diseases”.

-Agence France-Presse