How Can A Bean Burger Help Tackle Hidden Hunger?

Over 3 billion people around the world suffer from hidden hunger, a condition where individuals consume enough calories daily but lack essential micronutrients like iron and zinc.

Since 2002, researchers from the Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (abbreviated as CIAT) have been breeding high-nutrient staple crops and finding ways to integrate them into popular foods.

One result of this work has been a collaboration between a researcher and a chef to make a vegan hamburger with a frijol (bean) high in zinc and iron. Science journalist Andrew Wight went to Dulcinea Café Vintage in the leafy northern suburbs of Cali,Colombia and sat down with CIAT senior researcher Sonia Gallego and vegan restaurant owner and chef Leonardo Carrara to talk about the project and to sample the burger itself.