A new international report is once again questioning the role of red meat in global diets.
The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission report claims one particular diet could not only improve personal health and save the planet billions in healthcare costs, but also slow climate change and prevent more than 15 million premature deaths each year. The report—released in early October by The Lancet—calls for a sweeping transformation of global eating habits, including a significant reduction in red meat consumption, as part of its push toward a “planetary health diet” that supports both people and the planet.
The report updates the 2019 EAT-Lancet Commission report, in which the planetary health diet remains the cornerstone of the commission’s recommendations. It emphasizes a diet “predominantly plant-based, with moderate inclusion of animal-sourced foods and minimal consumption of added sugars, saturated fats, and salt.” Researchers say that following this pattern could avert 27% of global deaths, or roughly 15 million people per year.
The diet’s structure allows for cultural flexibility but calls for profound change in what and how the world eats. Specifically, the report recommends daily averages of:
• 200-600 grams of vegetables (1 gram is 0.035 ounces).
• 100-300 grams of fruit.
• 210 grams of whole grains.
• 0-500 grams of milk or equivalents such as cheese.
• 0-150 grams of legumes and 0-75 grams of nuts.
• 0-60 grams of poultry or 0-100 grams of fish and shellfish.
• 0-30 grams of sugar.
• 0-30 grams of red meat (about 1 ounce).
Criticism of red meat
The small portion of red meat, the report says, represents the level that avoids “statistically significant increases in risk” for major diseases like Type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease and colorectal cancer.
Researchers said the relationship between red meat intake and diabetes risk to be “approximately linear,” meaning every additional serving raises risk. “Where little or no red meat is consumed, diabetes risk is lowest,” the authors wrote.
Red meat, they noted, “is high in protein, haem iron, and other minerals, but is also high in saturated fat and cholesterol and low in essential polyunsaturated fatty acids.” The report continued that while small amounts can provide nutrients in carbohydrate-heavy diets, the overall health impact is negative at higher intakes.
Environmental and economic costs
Beyond health, the commission underscores that food systems drive five planetary-boundary transgressions, including land-system change, biosphere integrity and greenhouse gas emissions. Food production alone accounts for about 30% of all global emissions, the authors said.
Even if fossil-fuel use stopped tomorrow, they argue, “food systems will cause the world to breach the Paris Climate Agreement limit.” The report continues, achieving a safe and just food system will require “urgent and meaningful changes in our culture of unhealthy, unjust, and unsustainable food production and consumption.”
To feed the world within planetary limits, the report envisions a 33% reduction in ruminant-meat production and a 63% increase in fruits, vegetables and nuts compared with 2020 levels.
Financially, the commission estimates that transforming global food systems could cost between $200 billion and $500 billion per year.
Industry pushes back
John Robinson, senior vice president of membership, communications and events for the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, pushed back on the EAT-Lancet Commission’s claims about livestock and climate impact.
“Agriculture as a whole accounts for just 9-10% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions,” Robinson told WLJ in an email. “In total, red meat production contributes just 2% of the national total, while energy production, transportation, and industry account for more than 80%.”
He added that eliminating red meat “would have almost no measurable impact on the climate, while gutting a vital food source and rural economies.” Robinson emphasized that U.S. livestock producers are “global leaders in efficiency,” producing beef with “one of the lowest carbon footprints in the world—nearly three times lower than the global average.” Decades of innovation in feed efficiency, land management and animal health, he said, have reduced emissions per pound of red meat by more than 40% since the 1970s.
“If the goal is real climate progress,” he concluded, “solutions must come from sectors other than agriculture—not by scapegoating red meat.”
In response to the release of the second EAT-Lancet Commission report, the Animal Agriculture Alliance rejected the report’s renewed call for limiting animal-sourced foods.
“The EAT-Lancet Commission rehashing the same near-vegan diet it has been promoting for more than six years doesn’t change the facts about the many proven contributions of animal-source foods to nutrient-dense diets,” said Hannah Thompson-Weeman, the organization’s president and CEO. “Today’s animal protein is produced more efficiently than ever, delivering unmatched nutritional benefits while protecting the natural resources we all share.”
Thompson-Weeman added that the EAT-Lancet diet “admits this diet is not based on environmental criteria,” and warned that its restrictions on meat, dairy, and eggs “would put people at risk of serious nutrient deficiencies.”
Support for report
The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) applauded the report, saying, “It is clear: predominantly plant-based dietary patterns are key to a healthier, more sustainable future.” The group emphasized that “plant-based foods represent an immediate, practical solution,” adding that PBFA is “proud to support the agricultural expansion needed to secure this vision and the innovative companies making it delicious and accessible.”
Rising U.S. demand for plant-based foods, the group said, is driving economic growth and creating thousands of jobs while offering farmers new opportunities to diversify with protein-rich crops such as soy, peas, oats, chickpeas and lentils.
Compassion in World Farming also welcomed the report, calling it “a bold and hopeful roadmap for transforming our global food systems to benefit the health of people, animals and our planet.”
Compassion in World Farming Global CEO Philip Lymbery said the new report shows that “our everyday food choices could help restore nature, protect our health, and secure a better future for generations to come.” He added, “Whether you’re shaping policy, producing food, or making choices at the checkout, it’s time to rethink how we grow, eat, and value food—and to act with urgency and compassion.” — Charles Wallace, WLJ contributing editor
