“It will change the way we think about hunger and food.” Bill Gates talks about his favorite author

 

McKinsey: Food waste costs the world $600 billion a year

Bill Gates’ favorite author has a new book out, and the billionaire philanthropist believes it will “teach us a lot” about food.

“How to Feed the World” by Vaclav Smil, which was published Tuesday, “will change the way you think about hunger and food and what we eat (and don’t eat),” Gates wrote in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

During Smil’s career, he has written more than 40 books on a range of topics from technological innovation and energy to public policy and population growth. Gates said in a blog post published Tuesday that he is a “devout reader” of the academic’s entire output, reading “nearly all” of Smil’s published work. “I wait for Smil’s new books the way some people wait for the next Star Wars movie,” he added.

Eradicating world hunger is a core focus of the Gates Foundation, and Gates noted in his recent blog post that Smil’s latest book turns “conventional wisdom on its head” by using data to reframe the problem.

The world produces roughly 3,000 calories of food per person per day, Gates writes, “more than enough to feed everyone.” The problem lies in how food is distributed, with rampant inefficiencies in the supply chain leading to massive amounts of food waste: According to the United Nations, about a third of food goes uneaten.

The inefficiency also increases costs for producers and retailers, leading to higher prices for shoppers around the world. Reducing food waste could ease the strain on the global food supply, making food more accessible and affordable for everyone, Smil says.

Other researchers agree. According to a 2022 report by consulting firm McKinsey, nearly $600 billion worth of food is lost during or after harvest each year. The Pacific Coast Cooperative’s 2024 report found that food waste at all stages and in all types leads to lost revenue for retailers and higher consumer prices.

Smil’s book offers some potential solutions, including improvements to food storage, packaging, supply chains, and pricing models. Gates writes that one of his favorites: CRISPR genetic enhancement, which could theoretically develop more resilient crops that can better withstand the effects of climate change.

“Like all of Vaclav’s best books, it challenges readers to think differently about a problem we thought we understood,” Gates writes. “We also need to ensure that food is more accessible, affordable, less wasted, and as nutritious as it is abundant.”