Eating a balanced diet is vital for our good health and wellbeing. However, food security has tended to be concerned with producing more food, not necessarily more nutritious food. The double burden of over- and under-nutrition needs to be at the centre of national and international policy agendas and addressing it requires complex responses and political leadership. 

Food-based strategies (including food production, dietary diversification, and food fortification) focus on the necessity of improving diets in order to overcome and prevent malnutrition. The availability of food does not necessarily ensure good nutrition, with many retail outlets providing food environments with low-priced, nutrient-poor, but energy-dense products. 

In addition, we need to consider the impact of our diets on the planet. Dietary change towards healthier, more plant-based diets can reduce the environmental impacts of the food system. In particular, staple crops have generally lower environmental footprints (impacts per kilogram of product) than animal products, especially for greenhouse gas emissions. Yet to enable dietary change, comprehensive policy and business approaches are essential to making serious changes possible. These include economic incentives and labelling, as well as aligning national dietary guidelines with current scientific evidence on the health and environmental impacts of our diet.