UK reports on sustainable diets
There have been many UK reports and research projects since 2018 describing diets that are healthy (providing sufficient, but not excess, energy and nutrients), and that also consider diverse aspects of food production, processing and distribution in relation to environmental limits. Listed below are those that provide quantitative and/or qualitative advice on consumer food choices that align human and planetary health.
The BDA is the professional association and trade union for dietitians in the UK, and currently has nearly 10,000 members. The BDA issued a policy document on Sustainable Food in September 2013, updated in November 2017. In November 2018 the BDA issued a more detailed report produced by a small expert group: Eating patterns for health and environmental sustainability.
The expert group reviewed scientific literature on the nutrient intakes and patterns of UK diets and considered the emerging discussion of issues of environmental damage from the production of particular foods. The report considered in detail the themes of population-wide reductions of animal protein foods in relation to changes to intakes of particular nutrients and issued descriptive messages on the choice of sustainable diets for communication to the UK public.
The BDA environmentally sustainable diet recommendations for the UK population
Red meat
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Avoid processed meats. Reduce intakes of red meat: 500g weekly maximum
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Plant proteins
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Increase
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Fish
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From sustainable sources
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Dairy
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Moderate intakes
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Starchy foods
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Recommend wholegrain
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Fruits and vegetables
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Increase intakes, especially seasonal and locally produced product, and tinned/ frozen. Reduce air freighted and pre-packed salad items
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Portion control
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Avoid high Fat, Sugar and Salt (HFSS) foods. Reduce animal proteins and moderate dairy proteins
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Hydration
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Choose tap water and tea or coffee over soft drinks
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Reduce food waste
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Reduce, especially perishable fruit and vegetables. Recycle food waste
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The One Blue Dot report recognised the particular nutritional requirements of some sub-groups of the population, such as pregnant women, young children or the elderly. For these groups, or for some people with medical conditions, further specific dietary guidance from dietitians was useful.
Reductions in animal source proteins generally, and with meats specifically, will result in the reduction of dietary intakes of some micronutrients. Dietitians advising on low meat or vegetarian diets, will consider intakes of iron, zinc, calcium, iodine and vitamin B12. Avoidance of fish may reduce intakes of iodine and the benefits of long chain omega-3 fatty acids. In many cases, fortified foods and/or the use of supplements would be recommended to ensure adequate intakes of particular micronutrients.
EAT-Lancet Commission report Food in the Anthropocene: healthy diets from sustainable food systems (Lancet, 2019)1
The EAT-Lancet commission is made up of 37 experts from 16 countries. The commission secretariat is based at the Stockholm Resilience Centre, and is funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Stordalen foundation and the EAT foundation. Although the inputs and perspectives for this report are international, the project is hosted by the UK medical publication The Lancet.
The commission reviewed global targets for healthy diets defined to reduce premature deaths from chronic disease, and food production that affected planetary boundaries. Reference to boundaries directly linked to food production were assessed by six measures including, greenhouse gas emissions, cropland and water use, nitrogen and phosphorus application, and biodiversity scores.
The commission calculated a global healthy reference diet to achieve adequate and balanced macro- and micro-nutrient intakes (calculated from US nutritional recommendations) for an intake of 2500 kcals/day. These are reference figures that would obviously need adjustment for the current nutritional status of different global populations, and to allow for cultural and economic variations in relation to food consumption. For example, red meat consumption in Sub-Saharan and South Asian diets is below the EAT-Lancet dietary reference; global average diets exceed red meat reference levels by nearly three-fold; North American diets exceed levels by over six-fold.
EAT-Lancet healthy reference diet for 2500 kcal/day
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Food intakes, g/day
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UK dietary estimates*
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Energy intakes, kcal/day
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Wholegrain – dry weight
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|
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Rice, wheat, corn and other
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232
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811
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Tubers or starchy vegetables
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|
|
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Potatoes and cassava
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50
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96 ; 76
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39
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Vegetables
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|
|
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All vegetables
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300
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162 ; 162
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Dark green vegetables
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100
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23
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Red and orange vegetables
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100
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30
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Other vegetables
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100
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25
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Fruits
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|
|
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All fruit
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200
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157 ; 132
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126
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Dairy foods
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|
|
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Whole milk or equivalents*
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250
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433; 221 (milk) + 51 (other dairy products)
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153
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Protein sources
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|
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Beef and lamb
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7
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137 (beef.lamb.pork.poultry); 103 (as above)
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15
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Pork
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7
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15
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Chicken and poultry
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29
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62
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Eggs
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13
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17 ; 15
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19
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Fish
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28
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20 ; 17
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40
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Legumes – dry weight
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|
|
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Dry beans, lentils and peas
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50
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? ; 30 (beans.nuts.seeds)
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172
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Soya foods
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25
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112
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Peanuts
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25
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142
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Tree nuts
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25
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149
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Added fats
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23
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Palm oil
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7
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60
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Unsaturated oils
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40
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354
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Dairy fats
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0
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0
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Lard or tallow
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5
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36
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Added sugars
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|
|
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All sweeteners
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31
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120
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* UK diet approximation (both not directly comparable figures). First figure from DEFRA Family Food Survey 2018. Second figure from Reynolds (2019), UK population average diet, from NDNS 2013
* 250g milk produces about ‘one tenth weight cheese’ i.e. about 25g medium-hard cheese
EAT-Lancet healthy reference diet for 2500kcal/day (summary chart)
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Food intakes g/day
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Energy intakes, kcal/day
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Grains, preferably wholegrain
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232
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811
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Plant protein foods
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97
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615
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Vegetables
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300
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78
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Fruits
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200
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126
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Added fats
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52
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450
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Dairy – milk or equivalent
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250
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153
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Animal protein foods
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56
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111
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Tubers
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50
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39
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Sugars
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31
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120
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Compared to the EAT-Lancet diet, current typical UK diets contain less fruits and vegetables, less fish, and less legumes, but more starchy tubers, more meat and dairy foods, and more sugars.
EAT-Lancet diet consumer messages (a selection)
- Embrace plants as a source of protein. Aim to consume at least 125g of dry beans, lentils, peas and other nuts or legumes per day
- Go easy on meat consumption. Excess meat can harm health and the planet. Aim to consume no more than 98g of red meat (pork, beef or lamb), 203g of poultry and 196g of fish per week
- Approach food in moderation. Consuming too much food can lead to weight gain and other problems. Take time to share meals with family and friends
- Cook more at home. Cooking and preparing food at home provides opportunities for shared family time
- Waste not, want not. Consider food waste. Use leftovers in lunch boxes, use in creative recipes or keep for future consumption
UK Committee on Climate Change report Net Zero (CCC, 2019)2
The UK agreed binding legislation on government policy to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The CCC provide independent advice to the UK and devolved governments on emissions targets, and report directly to Parliament on progress made in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Their report Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming includes specific dietary recommendations that UK dietary intakes of ruminant meat (mainly beef and lamb), and dairy should be reduced by 20%. In a public statement issued by CCC in May 2020, advising on direct consumer actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the general message, “Eat less beef, lamb and dairy,” was confirmed. (CCC, 2020)
Eating Better Alliance report Better by Half (EBA, 2019)3
The Eating Better Alliance is supported by over 60 civil society and professional organisations (including the British Dietetic Association). Their report Better by Half: A roadmap to less and better meat and dairy detailed 24 actions across five sectors, with specific targets to reduce meat and dairy intakes in the UK diet by 50% in the next ten years (by 2030).
For Food Retailers, specific recommendations are:
- To provide full transparency to consumers on where animal products are sourced from, and under what conditions of production. Ban misleading method of production imagery.
- To implement marketing strategies to support sales of plant foods (vegetables, wholegrains, plant proteins), and better meat and dairy.
- To set sales targets and evaluate progress to rebalance the food basket. Include more vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, seeds, fruit and pulses and commit to targeted reductions in meat and dairy sales.
- Implement a comprehensive strategy across the business, to support sustainable diets.
- Provide transparency on animal protein sourcing. Develop sourcing policies for sustainable animal feed and antibiotic use, better animal welfare and minimise waste.
Food Foundation & Food Climate Research Network report Plating Up Progress, Part 2 (2019)4
The Food Foundation is a registered charity with a mission to change food policy and business practice to ensure everyone can afford and access a healthy diet. The Food Climate Research Network (FCRN) is based at the University of Oxford and conducts and communicates research on food sustainability. (FCRN is merging with other academic institutes in Holland and Sweden, and will be renamed Table when the collaboration is launched in late 2020).
The report Plating Up Progress is a discussion about the assessment of healthy and sustainable foods provided by retailers, caterers and restaurants, with a view of providing valid and accessible SMART (Specific, Measurable, Accurate, Reliable, Timely) information for investors. The aim of the report is to develop agreement on valid metrics and reporting mechanisms, to allow assessment of food industry progress. Metrics for different industry sectors cannot be identical but general disclose and information quality is better from retailers, compared to that provided by caterers and restaurants.
Key metric proposed for retailers linked to climate change and nutrition include
- % reductions in animal product (meat, fish, dairy, eggs), and increases in plant protein (‘sustainable protein’) and fruits & vegetables
- % reductions in fats, salt and sugar (product content vs sales growth)
- Science-based targets for reducing GHGs emissions from purchased food and drink products
National Food Strategy report – Part 1 (2020)
The consideration of both healthy, affordable diets and a resilient, environmentally sustainable and humane agricultural sector was announced by DEFRA, as core themes for the development of the first review of UK national food strategy in more than 75 years. The project is led by Henry Dimbleby, co-founder of Leon restaurants, and non-executive director at DEFRA. The first section of the report was released in July 2020; the second and final report covering the more detailed aspects of trade and agricultural strategy, will be released by year-end 2020. The first section made recommendations to support access to foods for children and families on low incomes, the limiting of the advertising of ‘unhealthy’ foods, energy labelling for alcohol, and possible dual tariff schemes to limit food imports not meeting particular quality or welfare criteria. The significance and influence of the National Food Strategy report in relation to healthy and sustainable diet policies can not yet be assessed, and will depend on the popularity and robustness of implementing measures.
1. Lancet (2019). EAT Lancet Commission on Food, Planet and Health; Food in the Anthropocene: healthy diets from sustainable food systems. www.eatforum.org
2. Committee on Climate Change, CCC (2019) Net Zero – The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming. www.theccc.org.uk
3. Eating Better Alliance, EBA (2019). Better by Half: A roadmap to less and better meat and dairy.www.eating-better.org
4. Food Foundation & Food Climate Research Network, FCRN (2019). Plating Up Progress, Part 2. www.foodfoundation.org.uk