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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – Our global population is growing and there is concern that in the not-too-distant future we will not be able to feed everyone. Is that true? The global food system from field-to-fork is very complex. It is an interdependent web of food production and availability, somewhat like a chess board, where the move of one piece affects the entire game. Researchers from the University of Edinburgh attempted to look at food from an equitable-global perspective and what they found displays quite an interesting food chess board. Move one piece and watch what happens to all the foods in the food chain.
The global food supply is failing to feed the world: 795 million (1 in 9) are undernourished; 1 billion do not have enough protein to eat; 2 billion do not get adequate vitamins and minerals; and one-third of all children under the age of 5 have stunted growth from lack of food. Yet, 2 billion people are either overweight or obese. If we took at all the calories produced in the world – 2,687 per person per day – everyone could be fed. But, today we have anything but an equitable food supply.
The researchers were surprised to find that not just enough calories were produced to meet the average needs of every person on earth but protein, fat, and micronutrients (vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and calcium) were produced in enough quantity to nourish everyone. Yet, close to 800 million remain undernourished and 2 billion suffer from hidden hunger, the lack of nutritious foods to meet their nutrient needs.
Here is where the field-to-fork supply chain gets more complicated. The world produces enough protein to meet the minimum need of every person on earth but the unit cost of protein is expensive so only those that can afford it eat enough. The researchers estimated that more than half of the protein food produced is wasted. High income countries throw away more food. Many plant proteins are diverted to animal feed making them unavailable for human consumption. If the world’s crops were diverted toward more plant-based protein crops, like beans, there would be a reduction in cereal crops and a subsequent decrease in basic calories also needed to feed the world.
Even making a crop or consumption adjustment within the protein group has an effect on the nutrient quality of the diet. Proteins are made up of fragments called amino acids. Dairy and animal protein foods are an excellent source of the amino acid lysine needed to make collagen, enzymes, antibodies and hormones. Plant proteins are very limited in lysine. When meat and dairy products are in short supply a person would be lysine-limited. Foods from animal sources are also our main source of vitamin B12. Do you see the problems of trying to feed the world? Alter the food supply chain in one segment and foods in other segments are impacted.
The ability to eat a diet rich in nutrients is often more dependent on income than supply. After the inability to buy nutrient-rich foods, the second biggest loss of vitamins and minerals for human consumption is the allocation of plants to feed animals. The researchers found that on a global scale our food supply did produce the minimum need for vitamins and minerals but these foods never made it to from the field to the fork.
Close to a third of all fat calories are also wasted. Some is accounted for as waste or overconsumption by a segment of the population, but some fat sources, like corn oil, are diverted into biofuels while others are used for industrial purposes and in cosmetics. These nonfood products use fat calories never eaten.
The researchers offered some interesting observations in their attempt to look at the global food supply from the field to the food eaten. The system is complex, interdependent and needs to take into account many issues such as waste, transportation, storage and distribution to move the world’s food to those in most need. Additionally, we need to educate people that overconsumption is actually a form of food waste. Feeding the world is more complicated than providing calories to hungry people.
© NH Nutrition Consultants, Inc.
Jo-Ann Heslin, MA, RD, CDN is a registered dietitian and the author of 30 books. Available as eBooks from iTunes and Kindle/Amazon:
Diabetes Counter – the most up-to-date information on managing diabetes
Calorie Counter – a weight loss guide that won’t let you down
Protein Counter – put the latest protein recommendations to work for you
Healthy Wholefoods Counter – planet-friendly eating made easy
Complete Food Counter – food counts and nutrition information at your fingertips
Fat and Cholesterol Counter – newest approach to heart-healthy eating
Available in print from Gallery Books:
Most Complete Food Counter, 3rd Ed.
Your Complete Food Counter App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/your-complete-food-counter/id444558777?mt=8
For more information on Jo-Ann and her books, go to: www.TheNutritionExperts.com.