This week’s headline-grabbing figures include a sobering reminder of the prevalence of global hunger, a stark illustration of the loss of green space in Europe, promising research from Finland showing the benefits of eating beans, and growing public appetite for social supermarkets.
2.3 billion. The number of people around the world who are experiencing moderate or significant food insecurity, equivalent to around 28% of the global population. The statistic comes from the FAO’s latest update on progress towards the food-related Sustainable Development Goals, which includes a goal for zero hunger. In fact, food insecurity is now worse than in 2015 when 1.6 billion people (21.4%) were moderately or significantly food insecure.
600. The area of land in Europe that is being lost to development each day is equivalent to 600 football pitches, according to an investigation led by The Guardian. Satellite imagery was analysed to track the loss of green space across the UK and mainland Europe that once harboured wildlife, captured carbon and supplied food, but is now being replaced by roads, housing and other grey infrastructure.
1kg. The average body weight lost by a group of Finnish men who partially replaced red and processed meat in their diet with legumes over a six-week period. A group who only ate red and processed meat lost an average of just 300g by comparison in the study carried out in Finland. The team at the University of Helsinki found that partially replacing red and processed meat with legumes led to lower LDL cholesterol levels, which in turn reduces cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes risk.
54%. Appetite for cooperative ownership of food retailers appears to be healthy. More than half (54%) of people surveyed by the NGO Foodrise said they favoured cooperatives or employee-ownership models over state or private ownership of supermarkets. Foodrise is calling for major reform to the country’s food retail environment and government investment in alternative food networks.
