Breadfruit: Wonder Food Could Feed The World

via Huffington Post UK:

Watch out folks, there's a new wonder food in town, and it promises to make a big difference to the world.

Breadfruit has been heralded as a 'wonder food' that has the potential to feed the world and give us all a healthy dose of protein - impressive.

The exotic fruit, sometimes referred to by its Latin name artocarpus altilis, has a potato-like texture and is widely eaten throughout the Pacific Islands.

 

Breadfruit grows on tall trees in tropical areas like Hawaii, Samoa, and the Caribbean. It's high in energy from carbohydrates, low in fat, and has more potassium than 10 bananas. New Scientist have reported that more breadfruit are produced per hectare than rice, wheat and corn. The fruit can be ground into a flour and is used as part of a main meal or can be made into sweets. We're wondering why breadfruit isn't part of our standard diet already - it's is rich in vitamins and minerals, as well as being a high source of gluten - free carbohydrate and protein. One breadfruit, which weighs around 7lbs (three kgs), provides the carbohydrate portion of a meal for a family of five.

Scientists at Hawaii’s National Tropical Botanical Garden (NTBG) are working with the charity Alliance to End Hunger with the aim of distributing breadfruit to countries without a regular supply of food.

The Trees That Feed Foundation is planting more breadfruit trees in Haiti, where they hope to feed at least 1,000 orphans every day.

Previously speaking to HuffPost Green, Josh Schneider a horticulturist and partner to the organistaion Global Breadfruit, said: “Every time we plant one of these trees, we’re reducing the susceptibility to famine and starvation in the country where the tree is going."