Unilever and WWF-UK published the Future 50 Foods report and challenged the world to diversify its diet.

The reason was simple. Reports showed that our lack of dietary diversity was damaging our health and that of the planet.

Reliance on a small number of plant and animal species was making it increasingly difficult to get the minerals and vitamins we needed – leading to approximately two billion people suffering with micronutrient deficiencies worldwide (WHO).

Intensive monocrop farming was depleting the soil and necessitating the use of more pesticides and fertilisers, while continued dependence on meat protein was contributing to the rise in greenhouse gases.

Together with the resulting loss of plant and animal biodiversity, these factors effectively meant our global food system was causing more environmental damage than energy or transport (WWF).

By providing a list of nutritious plant-based foods that we could all be eating more of, the Future 50 Foods report offered a practical way of making sustainable change.

But what started as a thought-leadership piece, surprised everyone by becoming a key player in the climate change debate.