The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) released a list of the daily calorie intake of countries around the world, and the difference between our diets is pretty shocking.
The US took to top spot consuming on average 3,770 calories per person per day - more than double the 1,800 the FAO state is the minimum energy requirement.
The UK managed to avoid the top three, with Austria and Italy taking the next two spots.
It is generally recommend that men consume no more than 2,400 calories per day and women consume no more than 2,000 calories per day, which may go some way to explain why countries such as America are experiencing an obesity crisis.
Interestingly, research by the FAO has shown the highest consuming countries also spend the smallest percentage of their income on food.
The Democratic Republic of Congo came at the bottom of the list, consuming just 1,590 calories pre person per day on average.
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These 10 Companies Control The World's Food
Associated British Foods plc(01 of10)
> Revenue: $21.1 billion> Advertising spending: N/A> Profits: $837 million> Employees: 112,652Associated British Foods is a U.K. food manufacturer that has built out a global presence largely through acquisitions. Associated British Foods operates sugar factories, sells food ingredients to wholesale and industry customers, and manufactures consumer products such as Mazola corn oil and Twinings tea. According to Oxfam, the company received low marks for its practices in water use, having failed to conduct impact assessments, while also failing to adopt strong practices in managing its water supply chain.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Matthew Lloyd via Getty Images)
The Coca-Cola Company(02 of10)
> Revenue: $46.9 billion> Advertising spending: $3.0 billion> Profits: $8.6 billion> Employees: 130,600Coca-Cola is among the most valuable brands in the world. In total, Coca-Cola and its bottlers sold sold 28.2 billion cases worth of drinks, of which 47% were “trademark Coca-Cola.” In total, sales for The Coca-Cola Company were nearly $47 billion in its latest fiscal year. Overall, The Coca-Cola Company scores well for a number of practices, including addressing inequality for women working in production and supporting female empowerment for workers in its supply chain. The company is also well-rated for its land-management practices.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Groupe Danone S.A.(03 of10)
> Revenue: $29.3 billion> Advertising spending: $1.2 billion> Profits: $2.0 billion> Employees: 104,642France’s Groupe Danone has a truly global presence. Its largest market, by sales, is Russia, followed by France, the U.S., China, and Indonesia. According to the company, Danone is the world’s largest seller of fresh dairy products, which accounted for 11.8 billion euros in revenue, or over half of the company’s total sales in 2013. Danone is also among the world’s largest sellers of early life nutrition products and bottled waters. Danone received high scores for its policies in a number of major issues, including transparency and managing water resources. However, the company also received low scores in other policies, including its handling of land and farming issues. Danone received the lowest score of any company from Oxfam for its policies regarding women’s issues in agricultural production.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
General Mills, Inc.(04 of10)
> Revenue: $17.9 billion> Advertising spending: $1.1 billion> Profits: $1.8 billion> Employees: 43,000General Mills owns a number of America’s best-known brands, including Betty Crocker, Green Giant, and Pillsbury. No company received a lower rating from Oxfam for its overall approach to major policy issues. General Mills had the lowest scores in awareness and policies regarding climate change. Recently, however, General Mills announced new initiatives designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in its supply chain. As part of the announcement, General Mills also pledged to implement specific emissions targets, to review supplier practices, and to name its largest suppliers of palm oil and sugar in order to improve transparency.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kellogg Company(05 of10)
> Revenue: $14.8 billion> Advertising spending: $1.1 billion> Profits: $1.8 billion> Employees: 30,277Among the top food companies, Kellogg is the smallest by revenue. Still, as of 2013, the company had nearly $15 billion in sales, a similar amount in total assets, and more than 30,000 employees. Kellogg also owns a large number of very well-known brands, including Kellogg’s cereal, Keebler, and Pringles, which it acquired in 2012 for $2.7 billion. According to Kellogg, it is the world’s leading cereal company and the second-largest maker of cookies. In all, Kellogg makes 1,600 different foods, which it sells in more than 180 different countries. Kellogg received a lower overall rating from Oxfam for its practices than all but two of the other 10 companies. However, in a recent release, Oxfam praised Kellogg for its pledge to cut greenhouse emissions in its supply chain.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mars, Incorporated(06 of10)
> Revenue: $33.0 billion> Advertising spending: $2.2 billion> Profits: N/A> Employees: 60,000Mars is the the only one of the world’s 10 largest food companies that is privately owned. Mars owns several well-known chocolate brands, such as M&Ms, Milky Way, Snickers and Twix. Mars also owns a range of food brands such as Uncle Ben’s rice, as well as chewing gum and candy-maker Wrigley. Among the big 10 global food companies, Mars received the lowest policy ratings for water and land issues. In both cases, Oxfam penalized the company for its lack of knowledge of its environmental impact, as well as for its supplier policies.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Mondelez International, Inc.(07 of10)
> Revenue: $35.3 billion> Advertising spending: $1.9 billion> Profits: $3.9 billion> Employees: 107,000In 2012, Kraft Foods split into two separate companies, Kraft Foods Group and Mondelez. While Kraft Foods Group took North American grocery brands, Mondelez took its snacks and candies brands, which include Cadbury, Nabisco, Oreo, and Trident, among many others. The company had over $35 billion in revenue and more than $72 billion in assets as of last year. It also employed 100,000 workers worldwide. According to Oxfam, Mondelez received low marks for its transparency, as well as for its handling of issues related to climate change and workers.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Nestle S.A.(08 of10)
> Revenue: $103.5 billion> Advertising spending: $3.0 billion> Profits: $11.2 billion> Employees: 333,000By many measures, Nestle is the largest of the 10 food companies, with more than 92 billion Swiss francs in revenue last year — net profit and total asset figures that dwarf other food companies — and roughly 333,000 employees. Nestle is also the top-rated company by Oxfam for its approach to major policy issues. It received the highest scores for addressing transparency, water use, and climate change of any major food company. In its 2013 report, Oxfam highlighted Nestle’s efforts in addressing labor abuses the company discovered in its cocoa supply chain in the Ivory Coast.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Sacramento Bee via Getty Images)
PepsiCo Inc.(09 of10)
> Revenue: $66.4 billion> Advertising spending: $2.5 billion> Profits: $6.7 billion> Employees: 274,000In addition to owning famous soda brands such as Pepsi, Mountain Dew, and Gatorade, PepsiCo also controls food brands such as Tostitos, Doritos, and Quaker. PepsiCo also employed nearly a quarter of a million people worldwide at the end of 2013. Pepsi was among the world’s biggest advertisers. Advertising Age estimates that PepsiCo’s worldwide media spending totalled $2.5 billion in 2012. According to three groups that measure brand value — Interbrand, BrandZ, and CoreBrand — Pepsi is one of the world’s most valuable brands in any industry. While PepsiCo received a lower score on policy issues than three other companies reviewed by Oxfam, it has developed a reputation for company responsibility in at least one area. CEO Indra Nooyi has pushed for healthier products in her time at the helm of the company.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)
Unilever Group(10 of10)
> Revenue: $68.5 billion> Advertising spending: $7.4 billion> Profits: $6.7 billion> Employees: 174,381Unilever products are hardly limited to food and drinks. The U.K.- and Netherlands-based group also makes personal care and home care products. Still, its foods and refreshments businesses accounted for almost 23 billion euros of the company’s nearly 50 billion euros in revenue last year. Brands owned by Unilever include Lipton tea, Hellmann’s mayonnaise, and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, to name only a few. Unilever generally scores fairly well for its efforts in addressing policy issues. Oxfam rated it above all other companies for its worker and farming policies. Only Nestle received a higher overall rating for its handling of the issues highlighted by Oxfam.Read more at 24/7 Wall St. (credit:Bloomberg via Getty Images)