WHY DO WE WANT TO CHANGE THE WAY WE EAT?
Our modern diet is increasingly uniform and depends on ingredients from the same crops. More than half of our food comes from just four ‘major’ crops – wheat, maize, rice and soybean.
Not only do these crops dominate our processed foods, they are also used to feed livestock and fish.
THIS IS UNSUSTAINABLE. WE NEED TO TRANSFORM OUR DIETS.
OUR GLOBALISED DIET
IS ENERGY-RICH BUT NUTRIENT-POOR
Our increasingly sedentary lifestyles and eating habits have led to concerns about human diets being energy-rich but nutrient-poor.
IS LACKING IN DIVERSITY
Only 30 species (plants and animals) provide 95% of our food.
IS LINKED WITH AN INCREASE IN DIET-RELATED DISEASES
According to the World Obesity Federation (WOF), a third of the global population will be overweight or obese by 2025.
We need to put nutrition at the heart of our food systems.
OUR CHANGING CLIMATE
The world is getting hotter.
Average global temperature is predicted to rise by at least 2 °C
Resources are limited.
Rain fall patterns are changing; soil fertility is declining.
Our population is growing.
It is predicted to reach 9 billion by 2050.
Can major crops alone feed a growing population on a hotter planet without destroying the natural resources?
FORGOTTEN FOODS CAN
FEED THE FUTURE
Forgotten foods are those that were once popular but have now been displaced by a modern global diet based on processed ingredients from a few crops. Forgotten foods can come from neglected crops, fruit and vegetables, animals and even insects as well as traditional varieties of the major staple crops. By exploring our own culinary histories and traditions we can help identify and celebrate the world’s forgotten foods.
It is essential we capture our knowledge about forgotten foods and act on this information before it is lost forever. Farmers, food processors, supermarkets and the general public can all help.
You can make the difference.
Crops For the Future
Jalan Broga,
43500, Semenyih,
Selangor, Malaysia
+603 8725 2800
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