Thursday, April 17, 2008

Health - Should we change our diet?

People are dying because of the global food shortages, which has sparked a sudden surge in food prices. World Food Programme officials say 33 countries in Asia and Africa face political instability as the urban poor struggle to feed their families. The world food situation is very serious due to the global food price increase and shortages.


Are we growing too little food to feed the world? World food supplies are further damaged by climate change, a large amount is being diverted to make biofuels to make car greener which is a crime against humanity, grains used to feed animals for the world's passion for meat which is a very inefficient way of producing food. It takes 8kg of grain to produce 1kg of beef, and large tracts of forest have been cleared for grazing land that might have been used to grow crops. Chicken is more efficient to produce, it takes 2kg of feed to produce 1kg of meat. To maximise food production, it is best to be vegetarian.
Soceities in the developing world are getting wealthier are behind the soaring food demands. Food export controls are imposed by Russia, China, India, Vietnam, Argentina and Serbia in response to the crisis and demand are growing not only over energy, but now over food.
In many countries meat is regarded as a relish, with the bulk of the meal coming from carbohydrates such as corn, rice, pasta or potatoes and vegetables and get used to thinking of meat as a treat to save the world's poor from starvation.

Should we be trying to cut out meat to help save the world's poor from starvation?
Some say yes because...
- Producing meat is less efficient than growing grain, it takes 8kg of corn to produce 1kg of beef
- Growing crops to feed animals means there is less land on which to grow crops for humans
- Shortage of grain for human consumption, and global food prices have leapt by 57% in a year

Some say no because....
- It is not realistic to expect people to switch to a vegan diet of vegetables, pulses, fruit and nuts
- Developing countries should not be denied a better diet as they grow wealthier
- An alternative way is to reverse the policy of diverting grain to make biofuels

So, what say you?

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