12 shocking facts about your food

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London consumes 6.9 million tons of food a year, most imported from outside the UK
London consumes 6.9 million tons of food a year, most imported from outside the UK
PHOTO GALLERY: A pocket-sized book highlights some of the super-sized problems associated with the way we feed ourselves
 

There are certain things that people don't care to know about their food. Unpalatable things, information that is difficult to digest - or that simply gives them indigestion.

Did you realise, for example, that 27 million tonnes of fish are discarded as waste every year? That two-thirds of people in the US - a nation of 300 million - are overweight or obese? That 10 million children die every year and starvation is the underlying cause in most cases?

These are just some of the startling nuggets contained in The Little Book of Shocking Food Facts, a combination of thought-provoking graphics and... well, shocking facts about food.

As the world's population grows and its natural resources diminish, what and how we feed ourselves will become increasingly important. A more sustainable approach to agriculture, livestock farming and water use is needed if food systems and the environment are to cope with the challenges of feeding an estimated 9 billion mouths by 2050.

 

 

The Little Book of Shocking Food Facts by Craig Holden Feinberg and Dale Petersen (Fiell, £8.95)

To buy a discounted copy for just £7.95, telephone 01394 389977 or email sue.slee@antique-acc.com, quoting 'Ecologist’. UK postage is free

 

 

 

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