Augustine
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Joel Kontinen
In 2020, the world produced more than enough calories to feed the global population, but only half of those calories reached people’s plates due to rising meat and biofuel production.
When do we
run out of food? The world produced enough calories in 2020 to feed 15 billion
people – but only 50 per cent of those calories ended up reaching people’s
plates. This proportion is now very likely to have fallen even lower
because of the declining efficiency of the global food system.
Rising
production of meat – especially beef – and biofuels such as ethanol and
biodiesel are the main reasons for this increasing inefficiency, according
to Paul West at the University of Minnesota and his colleagues. Shifting
to healthier diets and reducing biofuel production could increase food
availability when do we without requiring more farmland.
Source:
Michael Le Page 2025 Fewer than half the calories grown on farms now reach our plates | New Scientist 25 August
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