Food/Food and health

A shortage of food is not the only problem. Over a billion people are overweight, and 300,000,000 are obese ^[1]. A third of all children born in the USA in 2000 are expected to become diabetic ^[2]. Metabolic syndrome  is estimated to affect a quarter of the US population.

How did Western diets become so unhealthy and what can be done to change it? Unfortunately, changing human behaviour is not as straightforward as finding a solution to an engineering problem. But it is hoped that the suggestions given here will sufficiently change the food environment that a change in diet will follow. The methods discussed in the other panels enable people to have high-quality fruit, vegetables and herbs on their doorstep with minimal effort. In other words, these methods change the situation from one where the easiest thing is to grab a burger to one where the easiest thing is to grab a fresh orange. One can hope that this will lead to a reduction in preventable diseases and — along with good application of advanced automation and artificial intelligence in medicine — help take the burden off our overworked medical system.