We’ve never had more choice when it comes to what we eat. Yet this abundance comes at immense cost. Food is responsible for around a third of global greenhouse gas emissions, and poor diets cost the UK more than £67bn every year in healthcare.
The paradox is clear – in feeding ourselves, we’re eroding the foundations of our own health and planetary resilience.
The financial imperative to shift diets could not be stronger. Globally, the food system generates $15tn a year in hidden health and environmental costs – more than the industry creates in value.
Most of this comes from poor diets, showing that health and sustainability cannot be separated. In the UK, we’re already seeing the growing impact of extreme weather on the cost, quality and availability of food.
This is a systemic challenge that touches every part of the food offer, and can only be solved by taking a joined-up approach. Leading organisations are doing this by aligning with the concept of planetary health diets, setting targets at whole-basket level. In doing so, they are building resilience, reducing risk, and strengthening trust.
Positive shifts across Europe
Europe provides the boldest signals of what’s possible. Retailers, including Ahold Delhaize, have pledged to shift 50% of their protein sales to plants by 2030. A total of 11 supermarkets operating in the Netherlands, representing 90% of market share, have committed to selling 60% plant-based proteins by 2030. Germany’s Rewe Group is embedding diversification into portfolio strategy while calling for a national protein plan to accelerate progress.
And it’s not just about protein. Denmark’s Whole Grain Partnership has doubled national intake of whole grains to the highest levels in Europe – showing how core elements of a planetary health diet can be delivered when government, industry, and NGOs align.
Foodservice is moving just as decisively. Compass Group has reformulated 90,000 recipes and committed to 40% plant-based menus by 2030. Sodexo has pledged that one in three meals will be plant-based by 2025, and Aramark is scaling planetary health menus across European universities and workplaces.
Public institutions are stepping up too: nearly 20 C40 cities – from Milan and Barcelona to London and Paris – have signed the Good Food Cities Declaration, aligning procurement with planetary health principles and reshaping millions of meals. These shifts send powerful demand signals through supply chains and reinforce private-sector action.
Integrating health and sustainability
The companies thriving in this new landscape are integrating health and sustainability as mutually reinforcing drivers of commercial success. This convergence is already delivering measurable advantages: enhanced market positioning in fast-growing segments, stronger supply chain resilience against climate and regulatory risks, operational cost reductions through portfolio optimisation, preferred access to ESG-focused investment capital, and deeper consumer loyalty.
The UK is showing promising signs of progress. In addition to London signing the Good Food Cities Declaration, Lidl GB has set a public protein split target, aiming for 25% of sales from plant proteins and committing to increase whole grains to 25% of total grains by 2030. And a major new campaign spearheaded by the Food Foundation in partnership with Veg Power aims to double UK bean consumption by 2028.
Policy debates on mandatory reporting are beginning to explore how health and sustainability can be better integrated. And consumers are already ahead of the curve: two-thirds say they are changing or considering changing their diets to be healthier and more sustainable.
Planetary health diets are a proven lever for resilience and relevance. Europe has shown the art of the possible. The UK now has the chance to lead – by committing to ambitious dietary targets that work for people, planet, and profit.
Ali Morpeth, co-founder of the Planeatry Alliance
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