Part of a series on key themes from IFPRI’s 2024 Global Food Policy Report. Read the other posts here, here, and here.
Plant-source foods are a central component of sustainable healthy diets that promote individual health and well-being, are accessible, affordable, safe, and equitable, and culturally acceptable, while causing limited environmental stresses.
The health benefits of balanced consumption of fruits, vegetables, roots and tubers, and nutrient-enriched and whole grain staples are well-established. These provide energy, protein, and health-promoting vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, and dietary fiber. Expanding cultivation and consumption of these food crops—along with sustainable, nutritious animal-based foods—is essential to feeding an expanding global population in the 21st century.