How France’s new food strategy aims to change the national diet
The plan outlines new goals for meat consumption
France’s new food strategy urges reduced meat intake and more plant-based choices
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People in France need to eat less meat, notably imported, says a new national food strategy outlined by the government this week.
The strategy for food, nutrition, and climate was jointly published by the Ministries of Agriculture, Ecological Transition and Health on February 11, and has been anticipated for two years. It was initially expected to be released in November 2025.
It outlines the government’s intended action for healthy food consumption between now and 2030.
The plan recommends that people:
Limit the consumption of meat and charcuterie.
Reduce the consumption of imported meat.
Increase the consumption of fruit and vegetables, legumes, nuts and wholegrains.
Consume fish and dairy products in “sufficient” amounts.
The objectives have been outlined to achieve a “gradual evolution towards food diets that conform to the guidelines of the PNNS”.
The PNNS (Programme national nutrition santé) national nutrition and health programme is a long-standing, existing policy that seeks to improve the population’s health through improved nutrition and increased exercise.
Climate aims
The new strategy has two overall aims:
It is partly the result both of the citizens’ climate convention, la Convention citoyenne sur le climat, which took place in 2019, and climate law la loi climat et résilience, which followed in 2021.
The consumption of meat and animal products is considered to be a major environmental issue. The report noted that food accounts for almost 25% of France’s carbon footprint, of which 61% comes from products of animal origin.
It comes after meat consumption has already been dropping in France, with a 2025 poll finding that 52% of people reduced their meat consumption in the last three years. Factors cited were cost, health, the environment, and out of concern for animal welfare.
Heated wording negotiations
Negotiations were often heated over the wording of the new strategy, which delayed its publication.
This particularly concerned the perceived difference between the words “limitation” and “reduction”.
The Ministry of Agriculture tends to use the term “limitation”, while the Ministry for the Ecological Transition prefers the word “reduction”. The latter term appeared in the initial draft of the bill.
Debates and disagreements over the precise meaning and intentions of the different terms were among the factors that delayed the publication of the strategy. The Prime Minister’s office also argued for another approach, which would replace the idea of “reduction” with a strategy of “‘balanced meat consumption”.
November saw further delays, when MPs disagreed over the removal of the term “limiting ultra-processed products” from the text.
