16 October 2024 - Today, on World Food Day, WWF calls for ambitious food companies to rebalance food sales and publishes a new methodology to help them accelerate the transition to diets that are good for human and environmental health. The Planet-Based Diets Retailer Methodology provides a clear, step-by-step framework for retailers to measure, report and balance sales of animal-source and plant-based foods, supporting a transition to more sustainable and healthy diets, and helping retailers to align their sales with global sustainability, climate and health goals. WWF calls for companies to set clear targets and rebalance protein food sales to achieve a 60:40 split in favour of plant-based foods.
Presently, the global population consumes more animal-source foods than our planet can sustainably produce and, in many parts of the world, consumption of these foods exceeds health recommendations. Because individual food choices are significantly shaped by food environments – like supermarkets – and factors beyond the consumer’s control, such as availability, affordability, accessibility and marketing, retailers can play a key role in fulfilling the right to foods for a better life and a better future and transitioning to planet-based diets that are high in human health benefits and low in environmental impacts.
Brent Loken, Global Food Lead Scientist, WWF said: “Retailers are critical in accelerating the transition to healthy and sustainable diets, particularly in countries with high consumption-related environmental impacts. WWF has provided resources like the Planet-Based Diets Impact Action Calculator to help consumers understand how they can eat more healthily and sustainably, but this transition requires a rapid transformation of food environments and for healthy and sustainable foods to be made more affordable and accessible to all.”
The Planet-Based Diets Retailer Methodology supports retailers in tackling the overconsumption of animal-source foods and promoting the increased consumption of varied plant-based foods, including fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. This shift is critical to restoring nature, limiting the impacts of climate change and supporting consumer health and wellbeing.
Mariella Meyer, Senior manager, Sustainable Markets, WWF-Switzerland, said: “Retailers must be prepared to adapt their sales strategies to achieve both their own sustainability commitments and contribute to global goals. We know that intensive agriculture is the number one driver of the catastrophic decline of wildlife and nature, so promoting healthy, sustainable dietary choices is key. In countries where animal-source foods are overconsumed, food retailers can lead the way by rebalancing their products. The Planet-Based Diets Retailer Methodology will help them set targets and progressively enhance data collection and reporting capabilities to support business transformation and a transition to more sustainable and healthy diets.”
As part of the transition to planet-based diets, retailers should set clear targets to rebalance diets in favour of plant-based foods. WWF recommends setting ‘protein sources’ food diversification targets to achieve a 60:40 split of plant-based and animal-source protein foods (including legumes, nuts, meat, eggs and seafood), and targets to achieve a total sales split of 70:30 in favour of plant-based foods across all food groups (including protein sources, dairy, vegetables, fruit, grains, tubers and other starchy foods) by 2050. By tracking progress toward targets, food companies can uncover opportunities, develop and evaluate interventions, comply with regulatory expectations, and contribute significantly to a more sustainable food system.
WWF works with stakeholders across food systems to advocate for the consumption of planet-based diets, which may differ around the world but are consistent in including a large variety of foods, a larger proportion of plants than animals, minimally processed and local or regional ingredients where feasible.
Presently, the global population consumes more animal-source foods than our planet can sustainably produce and, in many parts of the world, consumption of these foods exceeds health recommendations. Because individual food choices are significantly shaped by food environments – like supermarkets – and factors beyond the consumer’s control, such as availability, affordability, accessibility and marketing, retailers can play a key role in fulfilling the right to foods for a better life and a better future and transitioning to planet-based diets that are high in human health benefits and low in environmental impacts.
Brent Loken, Global Food Lead Scientist, WWF said: “Retailers are critical in accelerating the transition to healthy and sustainable diets, particularly in countries with high consumption-related environmental impacts. WWF has provided resources like the Planet-Based Diets Impact Action Calculator to help consumers understand how they can eat more healthily and sustainably, but this transition requires a rapid transformation of food environments and for healthy and sustainable foods to be made more affordable and accessible to all.”
The Planet-Based Diets Retailer Methodology supports retailers in tackling the overconsumption of animal-source foods and promoting the increased consumption of varied plant-based foods, including fruits and vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. This shift is critical to restoring nature, limiting the impacts of climate change and supporting consumer health and wellbeing.
Mariella Meyer, Senior manager, Sustainable Markets, WWF-Switzerland, said: “Retailers must be prepared to adapt their sales strategies to achieve both their own sustainability commitments and contribute to global goals. We know that intensive agriculture is the number one driver of the catastrophic decline of wildlife and nature, so promoting healthy, sustainable dietary choices is key. In countries where animal-source foods are overconsumed, food retailers can lead the way by rebalancing their products. The Planet-Based Diets Retailer Methodology will help them set targets and progressively enhance data collection and reporting capabilities to support business transformation and a transition to more sustainable and healthy diets.”
As part of the transition to planet-based diets, retailers should set clear targets to rebalance diets in favour of plant-based foods. WWF recommends setting ‘protein sources’ food diversification targets to achieve a 60:40 split of plant-based and animal-source protein foods (including legumes, nuts, meat, eggs and seafood), and targets to achieve a total sales split of 70:30 in favour of plant-based foods across all food groups (including protein sources, dairy, vegetables, fruit, grains, tubers and other starchy foods) by 2050. By tracking progress toward targets, food companies can uncover opportunities, develop and evaluate interventions, comply with regulatory expectations, and contribute significantly to a more sustainable food system.
WWF works with stakeholders across food systems to advocate for the consumption of planet-based diets, which may differ around the world but are consistent in including a large variety of foods, a larger proportion of plants than animals, minimally processed and local or regional ingredients where feasible.