When 8 Billion Bellies Rumbles
An overground station right next to Canary Wharf surprised me with a man begging for food in freezing temperatures, barely covered in a torn piece of cloth. I observed him from a distance, feeling uneasy. The 8:55 AM rush hour gave the white-collar crowd greater strength to swiftly pass the frail old man. For the man who could barely look up, I must be nothing but mere two legs amongst the crowd of centipedes.
One of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to eliminate all forms of hunger by 2030 and achieve food security. It’s an audacious goal of satisfying the hunger of nearly all 8 billion people. Globally, the proportion of undernourished people declined from 15 per cent in 2000–2002 to 11 per cent in 2014–2016. Despite the implementation of measures such as sustainable agriculture and widespread access to food, the UN has estimated that more than 790 million people worldwide are still hungry or malnourished. This is a great challenge to be addressed over the next 7 years as one box of happy meals will not suffice. Hence, rather than a goal I would like to look at this as one of the UN’s SDG visions.
Let’s imagine a world where the conventional ‘Zero-Hunger’ is met. The temptations of the guts aren’t going to stop. Hunger is a highly subjective experience. How much food will be adequate? Here are some thoughts.
i) The calorie surplus conundrum.
Fallacious fasting techniques under the influence of a self-proclaimed credible nutritionist may result in malnutrition. For many university students, intermittent fasting is sometimes a mere diet vogue to cut costs by skipping breakfast. This means people are willing to starve as a result of their choice, ideas or beliefs!
ii) The calorie deficit conundrum.
Arnold Schwarzenegger used to eat 6 meals a day. One less meal would leave him hungry and undernourished. Although the ‘Austrian Oak’ is a rare breed, how much food should the world produce if a billion babies aspire to be Arnolds? It is estimated that around 200 L of milk is needed to produce 1 Kg of whey protein powder. While climate activists are striving hard to enlighten the world about how the consumption of meat leads to massive greenhouse gas emissions, where will the rapid increase in livestock for gallons of milk end?
iii) The calorie source/type conundrum.
When some food is omnipresent, now it’s about what and what not to eat. The world vegan population is currently estimated to be less than 1%, but it’s growing at an exponential rate. Between 2014 and 2019, the number of vegans in the United Kingdom quadrupled. In 2019 there were 600,000 vegans (1.21% of the population); 276,000 (0.46%) in 2016; and 150,000 (0.25%). Can there be abundant produce to feed billions of vegans? The interstellar movie showcased a future world with corn as the only source of food. Intolerance or allergens to food is growing at a staggering rate as well. Lactose, gluten, nuts, avocadoes and yeah even mangoes!
iv) The calorie speed conundrum.
How quickly should the person get access to food? Can a 5 minutes delay in delivery by Uber Eats cause starvation or how much does it lead to acid reflux?
These questions might appear silly as we are yet to imagine a near future with conventional ‘zero-hunger’.
The hungry Pi Patel in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with the ferocious Richard Parker must eat anything the sea bestows. Once the new world is discovered, the followers of Greta Thunberg might strive to go vegan. For the UN that’s going to be another food for thought after achieving ‘zero-hunger’.
As long as there are men and women with desires, one fulfilment of a desire will open doors to another chamber of desires. Our experiments with the mix and combinations of our 5 basic tastes will keep evolving. Even if our mind and intellect reach self-actualisation, I wonder if our tongue and guts can!
