Halcyon Identifies

 

The global food price index got back to an all-time high – essentials like maize and sugar up over 70% in six months - with severe consequences for hundreds of millions of poor people worldwide.

 

As global population increases and people become wealthier, agricultural production will need to likewise increase, but food systems may become more stressed because of competition for water.

 

700m or so extra people may move to cities by mid-century and may double or triple demand for health services, transport, energy, housing, sanitation, food and water.

 

Biofortification may help make staple foods - which provide millions of poor people with calories but which do not always contain enough of the micronutrients required for good health - more nutritious.

 

A global shift towards a vegan diet may be vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change, says a UN committee.

 

The UN has warned that commercial fishing could be destroyed globally within 50 years.

 

Growing demand for meat means more land used to grow grain to feed cattle and for pasture, while overgrazing leads to top soil loss and water wastage.

 

The number of undernourished people globally is approaching 1bn, (vs. 832m in 1995, on UN estimates) and is still rising.

 

Worries about food security have led to new public advice on waste reduction, storage, recipes and tips for leftovers.

 

Some first systematic attempts are being made to do better things with surplus food than throw it away.