Open Letter: Slow Food & 100+ Organizations Call for a Revision of the FAO’s Flawed Emissions Report

Slow Food and 100+ organizations wrote a letter to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to express serious concerns over their “Pathways towards Lower Emissions” report due to significant methodological errors and inappropriate evidence sources identified by academics Paul Behrens and Matthew Hayek. These errors distort research and undermine the report’s conclusions, downplaying the potential emissions reduction from decreased animal product consumption. We support the call for retraction and correction, and recommend using accurate studies on dietary shifts.

The FAO must engage independent experts to ensure future report robustness and transparency, particularly in the GLEAM methodology. Furthermore, we urge the FAO to collaborate with nutritional experts and agencies like the WHO to explore the benefits of plant-based diets. We recommend delaying the upcoming 2050 Roadmap report until these issues are addressed to maintain credibility and ensure rigorous, transparent processes.