The Planetary Diet: An Illusory Recipe

Stefan Hellstrand () and Johan Gärdebo ()
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Stefan Hellstrand: Ekostrategi i Fryksdalen AB
Johan Gärdebo: Clare Hall, University of Cambridge

A chapter in A Green Entrepreneurial State?, 2026, pp 219-240 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract In 2025, the Swedish Food Agency introduced dietary guidelines promoting a shift from meat and dairy to plant-based proteins, aligning with the global “planetary diet” concept to support a sustainable food system within planetary boundaries. This paper critiques the weak scientific basis of these guidelines, highlighting their potential to undermine food security and agricultural stability in Sweden amidst a geopolitical crisis. It examines the bureaucratic momentum behind the green transition, driven by the EU, NGOs, and research bodies such as the Swedish Climate Policy Council, which advocate phasing out animal husbandry despite its historical significance in Nordic diets. The guidelines, ignoring governmental directives to prioritize food security, propose drastic reductions in red meat (65–82%) and dairy (54–70%) consumption, risking increased import reliance and biodiversity loss. The paper contrasts historical Nordic diets, reliant on animal husbandry due to harsh climates, with the planetary diet's unfeasible reductions, arguing that such policies could lead to political upheaval, as seen in European farmer protests and rising populist movements. The Swedish Climate Policy Council’s ideological approach, rooted in the planetary boundaries framework, is criticized for neglecting practical agricultural realities, potentially exacerbating food insecurity and societal unrest.

Keywords: Dietary guidelines; Planetary diet; Green transition; Food security; Animal husbandry; Agricultural policy; Planetary boundaries; Populist nationalism; K32; L32; Q18; Q28 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:inschp:978-3-032-15512-2_12

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-15512-2_12

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