Question

Global grain and meat from animal production has more than doubled during the past 50 years, yet people in developing regions often have insufficient energy and protein within their diet to maintain health and well-being. What is one thing contributing to this?

a) Animals are only used to do the labor.
b) There's a lack of proteins from legumes consumed.
c) People lack sufficient amounts of nutrients due to poor food quality.
d) Basic grains such as wheat, rice, and corn make up the largest share of calories.

Answer 1

The issue of malnutrition in developing regions is partly due to the dependence on basic grains like wheat, rice, and corn for the majority of calories, which do not provide a complete nutrient profile, combined with the inefficiencies of converting these grains to animal products for human consumption.

Step-by-step explanation:

While global food production has increased, the distribution and consumption of this food are not uniform, leading to malnutrition in many regions. One contributing factor to insufficient energy and protein intake in developing regions is d) Basic grains such as wheat, rice, and corn make up the largest share of calories. These grains, while providing a significant amount of energy, may lack the full spectrum of nutrients necessary for good health. Furthermore, a significant portion of cereal grains is used to feed animals for meat production, and only a small fraction of the energy from those grains is transferred to humans through meat, eggs, milk, and cheese, making the system inefficient at providing the full range of needed nutrients.