The transition toward healthier and more sustainable food systems requires greater space for vegetables, fruit, legumes, whole grains, nuts and other plant-based protein sources.
The term plant-based refers to a predominantly plant-based eating pattern, adaptable to individual nutritional needs and cultural context. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) define as sustainable those diets that, in addition to promoting health, have a reduced environmental impact and are accessible, culturally acceptable and economically affordable.
The planetary health diet promoted by the 2025 EAT-Lancet Commission is also a transition toward a predominantly plant-based eating pattern with unprocessed or minimally processed foods, which protects both human health and the health of the planet.
In Italy, the fifth revision of the LARN (Reference Intake Levels of Nutrients and Energy) by the Italian Society of Human Nutrition has strengthened the orientation toward predominantly plant-based eating patterns and toward a greater presence of plant-based protein sources.
However, it is important to highlight that the health and environmental benefits of a plant-based diet do not depend simply on eliminating animal-derived foods, but on the overall quality of the diet (low in salt, saturated fats and added sugars), on proper nutritional planning, and on the predominance of whole or minimally processed plant foods.
The availability of scientific recommendations, however, does not automatically guarantee their adoption. Nutritional misinformation spreading in digital environments can in fact represent a structural barrier to the food transition.
In a comment published in The Lancet Planetary Health, López-Moreno, Sánchez García and Viña point out that the success of the transition toward sustainable diets depends not only on the transformation of food systems, but also on the nutritional narratives circulating within digital ecosystems.
On social media, foods that are central to plant-based patterns, such as legumes, soy, minimally processed grains and seed oils, are sometimes described in generalized terms as “inflammatory,” dangerous to hormonal balance, excessively processed or nutritionally inadequate.
The repetition of these claims, even when not supported by the overall body of available evidence, can generate doubts about the safety and nutritional legitimacy of plant-based eating.
The problem does not concern only the presence of individual false claims, but also the way digital communication works. Algorithm-based platforms tend to favor content that is simple, emotionally engaging and consistent with users’ pre-existing beliefs, while scientific evidence in the nutritional field generally offers contextualized, cautious assessments that pay attention to the overall quality of the diet.
Moreover, repeated exposure to contradictory nutritional messages can produce consequences that go beyond simple confusion, fueling a sense of distrust toward science and dietary recommendations and, as a result, encouraging less healthy choices.
How can we address this obstacle?
López-Moreno, Sánchez García and Viña propose adopting a series of communication models that are preventive, consistent and easily accessible to the population:
- Increase the presence of scientific and health institutions in digital spaces, making evidence-based nutritional information more visible.
- Train researchers and health professionals to communicate online clearly, understandably and with scientific accuracy.
- Promote collaborations between public institutions, nutrition experts and qualified science communicators, in order to also reach audiences who primarily get their information through social media.
- Ensure greater transparency regarding conflicts of interest and commercial interests that may influence narratives about food and sustainability.
- Strengthen independent fact-checking systems for nutritional information on digital platforms.
At the same time, public health initiatives aimed at improving food education should be promoted, helping citizens assess the reliability of sources and recognize false or misleading information.
Implementing these interventions, combined with complementary measures on pricing, food availability and agricultural policies, could accelerate the transition toward more sustainable diets.
In this context, REFOOD aims to contribute to this change through accessible, accurate, evidence-based communication, countering false myths about plant-based eating and helping people make more informed, healthy and sustainable food choices.
