EAT-Lancet admits meat reduction guidelines are not about the environment
21/02/2019
The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health, made up of scientists and campaigners from across the globe, held an official launch event in Oslo in January. EAT is dedicated to “transforming our global food system” to benefit people and the environment. The Lancet is a London-based medical journal.
In advance of the launch, the commission published its recommendations for “a healthy and sustainable diet”. It said people should eat more fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes and whole grains, and that many people in wealthier countries should eat less red meat and dairy. For example, it recommends a limit of less than 50 grammes per person per week for beef.
Publicity surrounding the report sparked widespread comments in mainstream media suggesting that consumers concerned about the environment should, more or less, give up eating meat.
Professor Mitloehner was quick to criticise the commission, saying its main report contains data that is “fundamentally flawed”. Then, on February 19, the professor revealed that he had followed up with the commission to express his concerns. He received a response by email from the science director of the EAT-Lancet Commission, Dr Fabrice De Clerck, saying environmental considerations had nothing to do with the consumption limits proposed by the commission. Dr De Clerck said: “The dietary guidelines only refer to healthy eating.”
Professor Mitloehner has applauded Dr De Clerck’s honesty, but has insisted the commission made misleading environmental concerns in its report and in its communications since the Oslo event. He said the commission was encouraging consumers to think that they can help halt climate change by refraining from eating meat.
Based on what it has told him in private, he called on the commission to set the public record straight.
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