The sustainable ecology team at Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU) recently published a research paper entitled "Transitioning to healthy and sustainable diets has higher environmental and affordability trade-offs for emerging and developing economies" in the journal Nature Communications.

The research team quantified the global environmental and economic impacts of transitioning to healthy sustainable dietary patterns. By constructing four typical dietary scenarios, including Mediterranean diet, EAT-Lancet diet, Healthy American diet, and vegetarian diet, the team revealed, for the first time, the dynamic evolution characteristics of dietary transition from 2020 to 2070 and its country-specific impacts.

The study indicates that by 2070, transitioning to a healthy and sustainable dietary pattern can improve dietary quality, reduce water resource usage, and enhance food affordability. However, in the initial stages, the increase in food demand led to a rise in water resource usage and a decline in food affordability, especially in emerging economies and developing countries, with the maximum average deterioration rates being 2.62 percent and 13.06 percent, respectively. These results underscore the necessity of long-term planning and financial support to ensure the success of global dietary transformation.

The research elucidated the necessity of transitioning to healthy and sustainable diets while highlighting potential challenges. The study aims to encourage countries to take proactive measures to overcome obstacles and promote the sustainable development governance agenda of the global agri-food system.