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Although there is enough food to feed everyone on the planet, the fight against hunger goes beyond that: food security must be ensured.
Last update: October 16, 2022
World Food Day is celebrated on October 16th every year. The date chosen represents the anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, founded in 1945.
World Food Day has a different theme each year and varies its approach slightly. However, the celebration of this day has as its main goal Promote healthy eating and food security and take action to eliminate famine by 2030.
The concept of food security implies that all people in the world have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and preferences and lead active and healthy lives.
World Food Day 2022
Access to a healthy and balanced diet is a right of every human being.
For this year, the selected theme is ‘Safer Food, Better Health’. The focus is on promoting a balanced and healthy diet in all households. This requires access to safe food (not harmful) for people, the environment and animals.
World Food Day should be celebrated by everyone who participates in and benefits from the food chain process, from farmers and ranchers to traders, supermarket workers, middlemen and cooks.
Everyone in the world, both at work and at home, has an important role to play in promoting healthy eating.
Food should be for everyone
Healthy nutrition is a right of every human being and is also the basis for the healthy physical and mental development of children. A balanced and age-appropriate diet is essential for the entire process of human development. This is because starvation has several harmful effects on the body.
Ensuring proper nutrition for children is the responsibility of adults, and nutrition education must start at home from an early age. In addition to children, older adults are also susceptible to malnutrition-related disorders.
How can you support the World Food Day initiative?
There are many ways to support World Food Day, including:
- Encouraging participation in programs to eradicate hunger among the most vulnerable populations.
- Learn to eat mindfully (pay attention to food and avoid waste).
- Promote a healthy, balanced and varied diet with proteins and vegetables at home.
- Avoid ultra-processed foods.
- Shop for fresh, local produce sold at farmers markets.
- Volunteer at soup kitchens run by non-profit or community organizations.
- Teach children at home about the correct handling and storage of various foods.
- Introduce nutrition education in schools.
- Where possible, contribute with donations in areas at risk of hunger.
- Thank you to each of those involved in the process, from the production of the food to the household tables.
Millions of people are starving
Reducing waste is the first step in the fight against world hunger.
According to the United Nations, 820 million people suffer from hunger and around 155 million children are malnourished. Most of the starving population lives in southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Statistically, 3.1 million children die from malnutrition every year and one dies every 5 seconds from a starvation-related disease.
Despite belief to the contrary, there is enough food in the world for everyone
Enough food is currently being produced in the world to feed everyone. Nevertheless, About 20% of production is wasted every year. For this reason, in addition to remembering the importance of food and its preservation, World Food Day aims to eradicate hunger. Reducing food waste is the first big step.
Hunger mainly affects children
With prolonged starvation, children experience slowing or cessation of growth and physical weakness. On the other hand, there are cognitive and mental impairments that make it difficult to concentrate and absorb knowledge at school and lead to a loss of motivation. Likewise, mothers who are in a situation of hunger will have babies that are thinner and more susceptible to various diseases.
The pandemic reversed progress
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted famine worldwide because it arrived in a chaotic and abrupt manner. It led to a decrease in food availability and production, as well as greater unemployment and a drop in income.
In this way, not only was it more difficult for the population to have food available, but when it returned to the shelves, prices rose, making procurement more difficult due to the drop in economic revenues.
Celebrating this day helps everyone in the world
The celebration of World Food Day not only helps raise awareness of the problem and seeks to improve food security and food availability and distribution, but it is also a constant reminder of it Hunger can be eradicated.
In addition to promoting adequate nutrition, the world also benefits from the promotion of social protection programs that promote food security and the adoption of environmentally responsible agricultural practices.
On the other hand, hunger is not the only problem related to the food system. There are others, such as obesity, environmental degradation (affecting agriculture and livestock), and climate change, that are sometimes ignored.
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