Description
The Future 50 Foods Report published in 2019 provides a tangible solution to help improve the health of people and the planet via meals. It begins by outlining the food system issues and goes on to identify 50 of the foods humans should eat more of. The intention is to make the well-supported recommendation of eating more plants understandable and tangible.
Partners involved
Knorr, WWF-UK, and Dr Adam Drewnowski from the University of Washington wrote the report with input and review from experts at Bioversity International, Crops for the Future, EAT Foundation, Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), Food Reform for Sustainability and Health (FReSH), GAIN, Global Crop Diversity Trust, Gro Intelligence, Oxfam GB, SDG2 Advocacy Hub, Wageningen University, and Yolélé Foods. Knorr is working with suppliers and smallholder farmers to sustainably grow Future 50 Foods, which the company has and will continue to integrate into its products, programs and partnerships.
Impact
The report has reached more than 476 million people in 19 countries; 10 global conferences/events have featured it; and over 50 media partners, NGOs, experts and businesses have shown interest. Knorr has built its product innovations into the Future 50 Foods in 10 countries, with 14 products launching in the coming years.
Barriers
Barriers include lack of awareness, availability and supply of the Future 50 Foods, but the partners are working together to remedy these barriers. The lack of cooking and preparation knowledge and tools is another challenge. Chefs have been involved to educate and inspire people to cook with these diverse, nutritious ingredients. Another barrier is the lack of knowledge of technical feasibility and qualities of the foods, making it risky and not cost effective to propose use in certain product formats.