Research, published in the British Medical Journal, has assessed dietary guidelines against five environmental targets and one health target to which governments have signed up, The Guardian reports.
The analysis assessed all available dietary guidelines, covering 85 countries and every region of the world. The researchers said governments’ failure to help people eat good diets was “shocking”.
In every country studied, the study found the diets people are eating today contain more red and processed meat than recommended by national or World Health Organization guidelines, and too little fruit and vegetables, beans, nuts and whole grains in all but a few countries.
However, even if these guidelines were followed, the research showed only two countries had dietary guidelines in line with health, climate and pollution targets set by governments.
Food is responsible for a quarter of the emissions driving the climate crisis and millions of early deaths.
