Food sense

Citation

(2012), "Food sense", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 42 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2012.01742daa.018

Food sense

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 42, Issue 4

A question that is frequently asked at the moment is “how are we going to feed the ever-growing population?” Philip Lymbery, CEO of Compassion in World Farming, provides hope in his new approach to feeding the world as we move towards the possibility of 9 billion people by 2050: Food Sense. A common-sense approach to farming and food production could revolutionise our food system making it more effective, food more accessible and more available. This means that farm animals must be kept in ways that add to the world’s food supply, rather than competing with people for food and resources. Food Sense was launched) at a joint conference between Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Compassion in World Farming. Speaking at the conference, Philip Lymbery, Chief Executive of Compassion in World Farming, said: “What is obvious is that an urgent rethink of our food and farming systems is needed”. He pointed to evidence that, far from leading to greater food security, intensive livestock farm systems waste food and put farm animals in direct competition with people for grain. Food Sense states that:

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  One-third of the world’s cereal harvest is fed to farm animals. If this were fed to people, it could feed 3 billion.

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  Up to one-third of the world’s landed fish catch never reaches a human mouth, much of it is diverted to feed farmed fish, pigs or poultry.

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  One-third of food produced globally for human consumption is lost or wasted. In the EU, we waste up to half our food. That is enough to feed the world’s hungry.

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  For every 100 food calories of edible crops fed to livestock, we get back just 30 calories in the form of meat and milk. That’s a 70 per cent loss.

Philip continues: “The truth is that factory farms are food factories in reverse; they waste it, not make it”. The message is clear: reduce meat consumption, avoid wasting food and get livestock off the grain and back onto grass, forage and recycling food wastes. “Through these simple, fast, cheap and effective measures, the grain and cereal currently used to feed animals, can be diverted directly to feed billions of people ”.