Group items tagged

TED on our food system from a kids' perspectives 

Asia is in the grip of a diabetes epidemic. In human and financial terms, the burden is huge and it is hitting the poor especially hard. Often thought of as a disease of the rich, experts say the unabating rise may be fuelled as much by food scarcity and insecurity as it is by excess. Changing lifestyles, rapid urbanisation and cheap calories in the form of processed foods are putting more and more people at risk of developing Type-2 diabetes. There are now 382 million people worldwide living with diabetes, according to new figures from the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). More than half are in Asia and the Western Pacific, where 90-95% of cases are classed as Type-2.

The second wettest summer on record was followed by a harsh winter, flooded grazing land and ruined crops, all resulting in soaring feed prices many farmers struggle to pay. Food prices today are roughly twice what they were six years ago - in some cases even triple. A poorer diet for the livestock has resulted in smaller animals which are less marketable, less fertile and make far less money for farmers.

Ikea has withdrawn a batch of frozen meatballs from sale in the food section of stores in the UK, and other European countries, after tests in the Czech Republic found traces of horsemeat.