How can the world produce enough food to feed 9 billion people in a sustainable manner by 2050? Why is the concept of choice so important for global consumers? How do we continue to lower the cost of food and make it more affordable for all consumers? These are just a few questions discussed and debated in a newly launched blog, Plenty to Think About—the thinking person’s guide to feeding a hungry planet (www.plentytothinkabout.org), sponsored by Elanco Animal Health.

Ambassador Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation, authored a post on Aug. 20 recognizing 2010 World Food Prize co-laureates Jo Luck, president of Heifer International and Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. Both were honored for their success in bringing the voices of grass-roots smallholders into hunger-fighting initiatives. Upcoming authors include a breadth of thought leaders impacting the food and agricultural industries.

The Plenty to Think About blog was inspired by global response to a 2009 white paper, “Food Economics and Consumer Choice,” authored by Elanco Animal Health President Jeff Simmons. The paper focused on the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s statement that the world needs to produce 100% more food by the year 2050 and that 70% of that food must come from efficiency-enhancing technologies. “Response to the white paper from producers, retailers and the business press indicated that hunger, food prices and agricultural sustainability are high priorities for individuals, farmers and businesses across the global food supply chain,” Simmons said.
Simmons noted that Plenty to Think About is not a corporate blog, but rather an open forum where anyone can share their thoughts and ideas about solving the problem of hunger. “Norman Borlaug proved to the world that one individual can have ideas that save lives. There is an immense amount of thought and passion for solving the hunger problem, and Plenty to Think About is a forum where individuals can voice their ideas,” Simmons stated.

Plenty to Think About also recently launched on Facebook<http://www.facebook.com/plentytothinkabout>, Twitter<http://www.twitter.com/plntytothinkabt>, LinkedIn<http://www.linkedin.com/groups?mostPopular=&gid=3338262> and YouTube<http://www.youtube.com/user/plentytothinkabout.