Healthy diets can cost less and cut emissions ^{CEFR A2}

A global study shows that eating healthy can save money and cause fewer greenhouse gas emissions than many current diets. The researchers used targets called the Healthy Diet Basket, which UN agencies and governments use for monitoring.

They found local food items that meet basic nutritional needs and collected data on price, how much of the country’s food supply each item makes up, and average emissions linked to each product. For each country they modeled five diets and compared cost and emissions.

The study also gives examples: milk is often cheaper than beef, small fish can have low emissions, and rice may emit more methane than wheat in some places. Choosing cheaper items can often lower a diet’s climate footprint.