Reader's Digest New Zealand Feb/ Mar 2026

changes, multiplied by millions of people, create a global impact. And that’s why this work continues to inspire me every day. Fry’s is available in Coles and Wool- worths, as well as at a number of inde- pendent retailers. Stockists are avail- able on www.fryfamilyfood.com PHOTO CREDIT ADOBE STOCK reader ’ s digest 22   February/march 2026 DID YOU KNOW? •It can take 30 bathtubs of water to pro- duce just one beef burger. •An area of rainforest the size of a hun- dred football pitches is cut down every hour to create room for grazing cattle. •Almost a third of all land on Earth is used for livestock production. •The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimates that livestock production is responsible for 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions, while other organisations have estimated it could be as much as 51%. •The Worldwatch Institute estimates that a staggering 70% of the world’s freshwater supplies goes towards agri- culture (a third of this to grow animal feed crops). •A 2020 Oxford University study found that, even if harmful greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels were stopped immediately, it would be impossible to keep global heating to the lowest safe limit without a global shift to a more plant-based diet. •It can take up to 12kg of grain to pro- duce 1kg of beef. •Currently, some 800 million people on the planet suffer from hunger or malnu- trition, yet an amount of cereal which could feed three times this number of people is fed to cattle, pigs and chick- ens. •Skipping meat for one day a week can reduce your annual carbon footprint by as much as not driving your car for a whole month! •Around 60% of the world’s agricultural land is used for beef production, yet beef produces less than 5% of the world’s protein and less than 2% of its calories. Facts and figures courtesy of Meat Free Monday , a global initiative launched by Paul, Mary and Stella McCartney to encourage people to have at least one plant-based day of food a week. I’m always inspired when people turn 100 and they’re still so vigorous. While walking through our retirement community, I came upon a recent centenarian who looked so full of life that I had to stop and ask, “How do you do it?” “You just put one foot in front of the other,” she said, smil- ing. Then she added, “Of course, first you have to wake up.” —Patricia Edwards When writing anything for public consump- tion, it’s always a good When the box from her sister arrived, my friend Diane excitedly ripped it open. Inside, she found a colorful hat that was soft and fuzzy. She loved it and quickly tried it on, but it didn’t fit. She turned it around, then tried it at a different angle. No matter how she wore it, it didn’t look right. So she called her sister Jane. “I got the hat you sent me,” Diane said, “but it doesn’t fit.” “A hat?!” said Jane, guffawing. “I sent you a toilet seat cover!” —Bonnie Pastoor There are people who unload the dishwasher right away and people who live out of it like it’s a kitchen suitcase, and they marry each other. — aparnarchi on Threads readersdigest.co.nz 23 reader ’ s digest cartoon by Bob Eckstein LIFE