Global hunger affects 733 million people worldwide, a number that has risen by 152 million since 2019, driven by conflict, climate change, gender inequality, and food waste. Economic factors also prevent 2.8 billion people from affording healthy diets.
Plant-based and cell-based foods offer sustainable solutions, improving resource efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting biodiversity, explains William Grand, CEO of NutriFusion, a Naples, Florida-based producer of micronutrient and phytonutrient-rich food ingredient blends.
Plant-based and cell-based foods as champions in solving world hunger
By William Grand, CEO, NutriFusion
Did you know that the number of individuals struggling with hunger worldwide has gone up by 152 million since 2019?1 However, through the use of plant-based and cell-based foods, there is an opportunity to make a real difference in the face of global hunger, not just in access to food, but also in access to better nutrition.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), [1] 1 in 11 people worldwide faced hunger in 2023, equating to a total of 733 million people [2]. What’s more, this number is anticipated to rise, digging a deeper hole into a bleak situation. Much of this is attributed to economic issues, as well as various others, which according to the World Food Program USA are as follows: [3]
- Conflict: Conflict is the top driver of hunger in the world, with 65% of those most affected living in conflict-affected areas, and 120 million people displaced due to conflict.
- Climate change: Over 80% of those affected by hunger live in disaster-prone countries, with 1.7 billion having been affected over the past decade.
- Gender inequality: Two-thirds of those affected by hunger are female, with 60% of the 309 million affected by hunger being women and girls. What’s more, 1 in 3 females has anemia, which can lead to organ damage.
- Food waste: Around one-fifth of food produced is lost or wasted, with $1 trillion worth of food wasted each year.
When looking at nutrition, the WHO’s State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2024 reports that issues with economics are also playing a major role in access to nutritious diets, showing that over 2.8 billion people were unable to afford a healthy diet in 2022. This gap is most significant in low-income countries, where 71.5% of the population cannot afford a healthy diet, compared to 6.3 percent in high-income countries [4].
However, tapping into plant-based and cell-based foods may be a solution.

How they work
Did you know that the demand for meat is expected to rise by at least 50% by 2050 [5]? This startling statistic, however, is met by the new kids on the block, plant-based and cell-based foods, that have the potential to transform the diet ecosystem as we work through food insecurity.
Plant-based foods are those that are derived from plants, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, and beans, and have been a large staple for many cultures. However, over time, consumerism has shifted to become more focused on foods that are not plant-based. This is unfortunate because, in addition to the health benefits they provide, plant-based foods have the capacity to directly address the issue of global hunger. In fact, a reduction in meat consumption can free up land and resources that can be used to grow more plant-based protein for human consumption.
Plant-based diets are also valuable in that they improve food production and the efficiency of distribution, cut down the production of greenhouse gases, improve air, soil, and water pollution, and ever-present clear-cutting (the removal of trees and plants in a specific area).
“Cell-based foods are markedly better for the environment”
Cell-based foods, or cellular agriculture, is a unique form of production that taps into biotechnology and the engineering of tissue that comes from animal cells. This allows producers to modify the design before creating the final product, such as stripping out the amount of saturated fat. Additionally, cell-based food production is conducted in a sterile environment that is considerably more controlled to ensure that the final product is less likely to be contaminated.
Cell-based foods are markedly better for the environment. Not only do they reduce pollution and eutrophication, but they can also cut down greenhouse gas emissions dramatically as compared to traditional beef production. Additionally, cell-based food can reduce the amount of land use that would normally be required for the raising of animals and is also considerably more efficient than traditional agriculture.

Major role of sustainability
To properly address the issue of food insecurity, sustainable agriculture practices must be pursued, with which plant-based foods and cell-based foods align. These practices help to protect the environment, including habitats and watersheds, as well as to reduce the effects of climate change on crop yields. They also encourage biodiversity.
Poor soil management is something that must be addressed as a big contributor to the issue of global hunger, which sustainable practices can work to solve. Naturally, soil is crucial for the growing of plants. However, the United Nations reports that a third of soil worldwide has already degraded, reducing the quality and quantity of crops, and taking with it a loss in the chemical and biological elements required to sustain crucial organisms – not to mention affecting the animals that rely on crops for sustenance [6].
“With global hunger on a continued rise, it’s more important than ever to utilize sustainable practices”
Naturally, water depletion is also a big factor, which sustainable practices can also manage. With water depletion, farmers are unable to grow crops and properly raise livestock, as well as support irrigation. This results in a reduction in food production – not to mention an increase in the cost of food. This is especially apparent in areas where there is already an inadequate water supply.
It’s important to also consider scalability. With global hunger on a continued rise, it’s more important than ever to utilize sustainable practices to ensure that farmers can scale up crop production.

Enforcing accountability
There are a multitude of reasons why global hunger and further exploration of things like plant-based foods and cell-based foods aren’t highlighted as priorities, much of which can be influenced by policymakers. In fact, the Global Hunger Index lists some of the key actions that must be addressed by various powerful bodies:[7]
- Agricultural support should focus on climate mitigation and gender-transformative, locally led adaptation.
- States must establish the right to food in laws and regulations, accompanied by monitoring and accountability mechanisms.
- Food and nutrition security analysis must include the perspectives of affected communities, and early warning systems should be linked to swift political action and automatic relief funding.
- Governments, multilateral organizations, and civil society organizations must strengthen capacities and systems to document, investigate, and report starvation as a weapon of war.
- Stakeholders with an influence on conflicts must promote compliance among human rights, humanitarian, and criminal law, and support judicial efforts against perpetrators.
- Invest in solutions that effectively integrate and promote gender, climate, and food justice.
These are just a few actions noted by the Global Hunger Index that are critical to creating change in the increasing issue of global hunger.

It’s also important to address the lack of education about global hunger among consumers, as well as the root causes. Many individuals have become distanced because much of their experience with food ends at the grocery store or at a restaurant they patronize. It’s important that we spread awareness about the issue and bring ourselves closer, as we are major components of change.
The path forward
With the use of plant-based foods and cell-based foods at our fingertips, and their potential to solve global hunger, there is much reason to hope. However, hope only tackles the issue to a degree. There is a long way to go, and it takes each one of us – regardless of our influence in the agricultural and food production world. We must take what we know and learn and pass it along to other generations. In a collaborative effort, we can be instruments of change in the issue of global hunger.
References
- World hunger facts: What you need to know in 2024 (and 2025). Concern Worldwide US website. https://concernusa.org/news/world-hunger-facts/ October 10, 2024.
- Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen: UN report. World Health Organization website. https://www.who.int/news/item/24-07-2024-hunger-numbers-stubbornly-high-for-three-consecutive-years-as-global-crises-deepen–un-report July 24, 2024.
- The Biggest Drivers of Hunger. World Food Program USA website. https://www.wfpusa.org/drivers-of-hunger/
- The state of food security and nutrition in the world 2024. World Health Organization website. https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/the-state-of-food-security-and-nutrition-in-the-world-2024 July 24, 2024.
- Environmental impacts of alternative proteins. Good Food Institute website. https://gfi.org/resource/environmental-impacts-of-alternative-proteins/
- Soil health is crucial for food production – here’s how to better protect it. World Economic Forum website. https://www.weforum.org/stories/2023/02/soil-degradation-biodiversity-planet/ February 26, 2024.
- Policy Recommendations. Global Hunger Index website. https://www.globalhungerindex.org/policy-recommendations.html