National age-specific food baskets for a healthy, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive global dietary transition

Dietary transitions face substantial economic and cultural barriers, with the absence of age-specific nutritional guidelines further impeding progress. Designing diets that are healthy and sustainable, while being affordable, culturally inclusive, and appropriate for specific age groups and countries, remains a significant challenge. Here, we use constrained nonlinear optimization models and fine-grained national age-specific intake data to design targeted food baskets that address the aforementioned challenges associated with global dietary transitions. We demonstrate that, while substantial structural changes in diets (2.98 – 3.40x) would be necessary for most countries, these national age-specific food baskets—considering preferences and economic conditions—can ensure that all age groups can meet nutritional needs and reduce diet-related disease risk, with little or no increase in food expenditure. Our research offers innovative recommendations for healthy, sustainable, affordable, and inclusive global dietary transitions across different countries and age groups, offering a feasible pathway forward for the global food system.