Facts about malnutrition & poverty :

* According to FAO figures the number of malnourished people worldwide increased by 75 million in 2007 to an estimated total of 925 million.

* 19 million children suffer from acute malnutrition.

* There are 2.2 billion children in the world and nearly 1 billion live in poverty.

* 10.6 million children died in 2003 before the age of 5 - equal to the total number of children in France, Germany, Greece & Italy combined.

* One sixth of the world's population entered the 21st century unable to read a book or sign their names.

One child dies every 5 seconds from hunger related causes.

* 15 million children a year die from hunger

* 1 billion people in developing countries have inadequate access to water and 2.66 billion lack basic sanitation.

* The world produces 17% more calories per person than it did 30 years ago despite a 70% population increase.

Facts about curry & food in Britain :

* Britons spend an average of £35 per head of the total population each year on curry (Datamonitor).
* Expenditure on food and drink increased 8.6% 2004-2007.

* 23 million people in Britain eat out more than once each year.

* There are between 9000-9500 Indian restaurants (Indian, Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Sri Lankan) in UK.

The Indian restaurant sector provides around 170 million meals a year, sufficient for nearly 3 meals per person of the population.

* The first curry restaurant in Britain opened in London in 1809.

* Over £30 bn will be spent in restaurant curry sector 2008 to 2022.

* In 2006 the estimated value of the Indian food market stood at £493.8 million. (Mintel) UK Indian foods market will grow by an estimated 6% to reach a value of £524.6 million at current prices by 2011.(Mintel)

* The annual turnover of the Indian restaurant industry including drink is approx £3bn p.a.