The Systemantics of Meat in Dietary Policy Making, or How to Professionally Fail at Understanding the Complexities of Nourishment

Abstract

As the most comprehensive system yet devised, global food production lies at the core of human existence. The universal need to benefit from this system, combined with its heavy reliance on natural and human resources, has raised heightened attention from governments and civil society. An overview is provided of how food systems co-evolved with human societies from prehistoric times until today, as well as a summary of theories on how to (and how not to) influence complex systems, illustrated with examples of technocratically imposed transitions that ended in disastrous outcomes. One should be skeptical about a new wave of well-resourced, influential coalitions that are attempting to aggressively overhaul the food system with interventionist policies. One of such initiatives is the EAT-Lancet Commission’s “Great Food Transformation.” Based on a Planetary Health Diet template, this grouping advocates a dramatic cut in red meat and other animal-sourced foods. Vegan-tech industries are called upon to partially bridge the ensuing nutrient shortfalls by promoting plant-based alternatives (e.g., faux meat and dairy) and novel technologies (e.g., cultured meat, precision fermentation), solutions that remain unproven at scale and are largely rejected by today’s markets. In their wake, self-styled food system experts, often influenced by Malthusianism and ecotopian ideologies, fail to grasp the unpredictability and intricacy of food systems, leading to oversimplifications, misguided policies, and unintended societal harm. Their preference for centralized planning and top-down blueprints curtails the individual and societal freedoms that would be the real proven levers to improvement. An alternative path forward, more in line with productive systems theory, is embodied by the Dublin Declaration of Scientists on the Societal Role of Livestock, the Denver Call for Action, and the Nourishment Table concept. Together, these initiatives set the boundaries for agricultural reform and dietary guidance while keeping human prosperity at the center of the debate.