The world faces an escalating challenge to meet accelerating demand (driven by both increasing population and per-capita income growth) for sustainable, nutritious food in the face of multiple constraints – climate change, human population pressure, local and global resource scarcity, and ecosystem preservation (Freibauer et al., 2011). About one billion people in the world live in conditions of poverty and lack sufficient food (FAO, 2013a). In addition, about twobillion people already suffer from a number of micronutrient deficiencies (Myers et al., 2014). These deficiencies may worsen due to increasing atmospheric CO2, which not only drives climate change but also lowers crop concentrations of zinc and iron (Myers et al., 2014). Inadequate intake or nutrient utilization may also result from situations of poor sanitation and hygiene.
Micronutrient deficiencies are caused by inadequate intake of essential vitamins and minerals in the everyday diet, which is common in populations who consume poor quality diets lacking diversity. This “hidden hunger” refers to the chronic lack of vitamins and minerals that are essential for human health, in daily food intake