Authors
Laura van Geel, Healthy & Sustainable Diets, World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
The latest science is clear: transforming what we eat and how we produce it is essential for human and planetary health — and according to new insights from WBCSD — for business resilience.
The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission deepens our understanding of how dietary shifts, sustainable production, and reduced food loss and waste can help companies manage risk and seize new opportunities in an evolving food landscape.
As climate shocks, resource constraints, and tightening regulations reshape markets, businesses that harness science-driven insights on food systems transformation will be better positioned to thrive. For the food industry, this is no longer a question of corporate responsibility — it’s a question of long-term competitiveness and stability.
Leading businesses across the food value chain – from input companies and traders to manufacturers, food service and retailers – are already taking action.
We’re seeing upstream companies, such as Tetra Pak, supporting dairy farmers in Bangladesh, Colombia and Kenya, while also investing in advancing plant-based technologies that utilize the whole (soy or oat) ingredient, to reduce food loss and water use, while enhancing the nutritional value of the final beverage.
Griffith Foods, a global product development partner in creating high-quality, culinary-driven food solutions, is deepening its commitment to alternative proteins—positioning the category as a cornerstone of its future growth. The launch of Versaterra™, a new platform dedicated to sustainable and nutritious plant protein innovation, marks a significant step toward the company’s 2030 Aspirations.
Meanwhile, retailers in Europe are committing to protein diversification targets, tracking sales and progress using increasingly standardized methods to measure environmental and health goals.
The 2025 Commission confirms that the foundations of the planetary health diet are solid — while elevating the central role of people. Food system transformation must work for farmers, food workers, consumers, and citizens alike.
That’s why collaboration between governments and the private sector is crucial. Governments can set the direction through dietary guidance, fiscal incentives and disincentives, and public procurement that rewards healthy, sustainable options. Businesses can innovate product portfolios, invest in regenerative supply chains, and scale affordable, nutritious foods.
To move faster, businesses need the three C’s: clarity, consistency, and collaboration.
Clarity provides decision-makers with the right insights to guide capital, investments, and innovation toward healthier and more sustainable food systems.
Consistency ensures policies send coherent signals, with aligned incentives and disincentives that drive action at scale.
Collaboration recognizes that no single actor can achieve systemic change alone; only through partnership between governments, investors, businesses, farmers and civil society can solutions be scaled effectively.
The path forward is clear:
- Strengthen accountability and metrics to inform business decisions and track progress.
- Scale regenerative and resilient supply chains through public-private coalitions.
- Align policy and investment to reward healthy, sustainable foods.
The 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission provides businesses with a science-based, people-centered reference to help inform business strategy; from product portfolios to supply chains and capital decisions. Companies that act now won’t just adapt — they’ll define the future of food.
