Food is Solvable 2021 (Gullspång Re:Food)

Summary

• Agriculture represents 32% of the world's habitable land, of which 62% is used for livestock, meat and dairy production.p.14
• Livestock supplies merely 17% of the world's total calories, while crops provide 83% of total calories on only 38% of agricultural land.p.14
• Antimicrobial resistance causes over 700,000 human deaths every year and is expected to reach 10 million by 2050.p.15
• The alternative meat market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.8% between 2020-2025, and would be worth over $100 billion at a 10% market share.p.16
• Over the past 150 years, half of the world's fertile topsoil has been damaged; without new innovation only 60 harvests are left.p.19
• Estimated costs related to food loss and waste reach 1.25 trillion USD each year, excluding indirect costs.p.24
• The upcycled food industry was valued at $46.7 billion in 2019 with an estimated CAGR of 5% for the coming decade.p.26

Key insights

1. Livestock uses 62% of agricultural land but equals merely 17% of the world's total calories.p.14
2. As of 2018, over 90% of wild fisheries were overfished or at maximal capacity.p.14
3. Heavy antibiotic use in animal factory farming and aquaculture contributes to over 700,000 human deaths every year from antimicrobial resistance.p.15
4. 50 billion animals suffer each year in factory farming, not accounting for fish and marine species.p.15
5. The alternative meat market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 14.8% between 2020-2025, compared to near-zero growth for traditional meat.p.16
6. Plant-based milk already represents 15% of total milk dollar sales in the U.S.p.16
7. Half of the world's fertile topsoil has been damaged over the past 150 years.p.19
8. Supply chain inefficiencies represent 18% of total greenhouse gas food emissions, or 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2eq annually.p.25
9. A 15% reduction of food waste in the U.S. alone could feed 25 million people annually.p.26
10. Unhealthy diets are linked to 21 million premature deaths, and 1.5 billion people have a micronutrient deficiency.p.30