Bite Size Science: a quick analysis of ‘biodiversity’ and food
Food insecurity and biodiversity are usually treated as separate concerns, but that’s not the case.
In 31 years, the world’s population is set to hit 9 billion. There are over 200,000 edible plant species, but most humans only routinely consume 200 of them. How are 9 billion people supposed to survive on the same 200 plants?
The answer: they won’t. We already can’t survive like that.
Homogenous diets and poor food access mean that one in three people in the world suffers from micronutrient deficiencies, while nearly 2 billion people are overweight or obese.
Yikes.
Maintaining biodiversity when developing diets or making new products is key to increasing food security, nutrition, and well-being for everyone. It creates a safety net for when there’s a bad crop cycle for wheat, rice, or other staple plants — which is happening more and more — and works to reverse the already extensive loss of land and plant diversity the world is dealing with now.
At Journey Foods, we don’t want to just make healthy, nutrient-dense snacks. We want to contribute to maintaining biodiversity on our planet and bring you some of the most underutilized international ingredients. Most notably, Baobob.
Never heard of it? That’s okay, we’ll fill you in.
Baobab is one of the most nutrient-rich foods in the world, native to Madagascar and mainland Africa. In particular, we get our baobab directly from farms in Central South Africa and Western Senegal. These fruits contain large amounts of calcium, potassium, Vitamin C, fiber, and protein, making it incredible fuel and a major opportunity for us to provide good nutrition to a lot of people.
What are some plants or fruits you know of that you think should be used in food more?
