PARIS: International experts insisted Friday (Oct 3) 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.
Source: CNA
