OBJECTIVE: To present the Mediterranean diet as an example of a sustainable diet, in which nutrition, biodiversity, local food production, culture and sustainability are strongly interconnected. DESIGN: Review of notions and activities contributing towards the acknowledgement of the Mediterranean diet as a sustainable diet. SETTING: The Mediterranean region and its populations. SUBJECTS: Mediterranean populations. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The acknowledgement of the Mediterranean diet as a sustainable diet needs the development of new cross-cutting intersectoral case studies to demonstrate further the synergies among nutrition, biodiversity and sustainability as expressed by the Mediterranean diet for the benefit of present and future generations.