Although the environmental, health and animal welfare benefits of plant-rich diets are well established, understanding how to achieve large-scale and lasting dietary change remains a major challenge. Meat consumption has proven difficult to reduce, highlighting the need for practical approaches that can be implemented within existing social, political and economic contexts.

The Chellaram Programme for Healthy and Sustainable Diets aims to identify and advance effective pathways towards plant-rich diets. Through interdisciplinary research and engagement, it will generate and disseminate evidence to inform decision-making by governments, industry, institutions and the public.

Focusing on the demand side of the food system, the programme will investigate the behavioural, social, economic and policy factors that shape dietary choices and influence food consumption. It will assess the effectiveness of different approaches to encouraging dietary change and generate evidence on the practical policies and interventions most likely to support the adoption of plant-rich diets at scale. By identifying how lasting dietary shifts can be achieved, the programme seeks to accelerate progress towards healthier populations, a more sustainable food system and improved animal welfare.