Global hunger affects nearly a billion people. The five major forms of malnutrition worldwide are: Protein-energy malnutrition, iron, iodine, zinc and vitamin A deficiencies. These deficiencies affect the mental, physical and emotional development of children and adults. They also impact on economic productivity. Malnutrition has now been recognised as a significant contributor to infant mortality. The observation that malnutrition during pregnancy has a long term impact on the offspring, further reiterates the importance of understanding and preventing the root causes of undernutrition. This lecture reviewed some of the conventional and unconventional ideas developed to eradicate malnutrition. It also examined how Britain's leadership role could transform the lives of millions suffering from hunger and disease. Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-Share Alike 2.0 UK: England & Wales; http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/uk/