With our global food supply under threat, at Knorr® Professional we’re determined to enable chefs to serve the world better. We’re championing better ways to cook for a more sustainable food future, by creating flavours using natural, quality ingredients: starting with The Future 50 Foods.
The shocking reality is that 75% of our global food supply comes from just 12 crops and 5 animal species – when there are thousands of species that we could be eating. The world’s monotonous diets are placing far too much reliance on too few.
This is cause for great concern because the practices of cultivating single crops and relying heavily on animal-based foods are threatening food security, with serious consequences for our vulnerable natural ecosystems.
How can we make a difference?
A key to promoting a healthier planet is to expand the variety of foods we grow and eat. As one of the world’s largest food brands, Knorr® believes it has a role to play in generating greater awareness of the food supply challenge, while also promoting positive solutions.
That’s why, in collaboration with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), leading scientists, nutritionists and agricultural experts, Knorr® has compiled The Future 50 Foods Report, showcasing 50 foods we should eat more of to promote a sustainable global food system and a nutritious diet for all.
What are The Future 50 Foods & why were they chosen?
The Future 50 Foods are a combination of familiar yet under-consumed foods (such as lentils, wild rice and kale) as well as lesser-known foods (such as fonio, pumpkin flowers and cactus).
They have been selected based on their high nutritional value, relative environmental impact, flavour, acceptability, accessibility and affordability.
This carefully curated list of varied, sustainable, plant-based food sources will help expand global biodiversity, improve nutrition and support our planet’s future for generations to come, with a view to reducing our reliance on a small base of crops.
How can chefs lead the change?
By embracing the Future 50 Foods and switching from overused and over-cultivated ingredients to more diverse and sustainable ingredients, chefs can begin to better influence the way consumers eat and how future generations of chefs cook, for a better food future.
Alex Hall, Executive Chef at Unilever Food Solutions UK & Ireland, said:
Our goal is to make it easy for chefs to add more varied and sustainable ingredients to their menus. Chefs can add ingredients from the Future 50 Foods to their existing dishes for a biodiversity boost, or they can swap over-cultivated ingredients for these more sustainable alternatives. Not only will this approach help to promote ingredients that are easier to cultivate, it also plays into consumer demands for new and unique experiences and flavours.
