World Food Day is October 16, 2021. It was established in 1979 to honor the creation of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations in 1945. It was first celebrated in 1981 with over 150 countries participating in events aimed at fighting food poverty and hunger.

World Food Day is a United Nations holiday celebrated around the world to raise awareness about food supply and distribution issues around the world. This year’s theme is, “Our actions are our future – Better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life.”

The U.N. recognizes food as a fundamental human right. World Food Day helps draw attention to the constant fight to end world hunger.

Every time we eat, we are part of the agri-food system. The foods we choose, how they are produced, how we obtain them, prepare them, or store them affects the agri-food system. For this system to be sustainable, the food supply chain must be balanced.

Imbalances occur because many people in first world countries overindulge instead of eating sustainably and mindfully.

Other food imbalances occur because of wars, manufactured and natural disasters, inflation, draughts, crop failures, government policies, and population imbalances.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates three billion people (40% of the world’s population) cannot afford a healthy diet.

One of the goals of World Food Day is to educate people to eat better and stop wasting food that could be sent to alleviate hunger in other parts of the world.

Another goal is to increase agricultural production around the world by providing countries with programs to educate their farmers about sustainable farming practices, improving supply chains and distribution efforts.

On World Food Day organizations around the world raise funds to support agriculture, and small farms in local communities. During the main event which occurs in Rome each year at the international headquarters of the Food and Agricultural Organization, international organizations gather to discuss food supply issues.

What can you do to celebrate World Food Day?

1.       Consider donating to a local food bank or volunteering your time at a food bank helping to pack and distribute boxes of food to people in need.

2.       Commit to limiting food waste by eating sustainably.

a.       Choose foods that are healthful to our environment and our bodies such as legumes, whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nuts and eating less animal-based foods.

b.       Commit to starting your own garden – you can start small by growing your own herbs and in the spring plant a small vegetable garden.

c.       Shop locally and support farmer’s markets and food to table restaurants.

d.       Eat seasonally – learn which crops are grown in your area and when they are in season.

e.       Drink water from the tap or filtered tap water instead of buying bottled water from other locations.

f.        Buy in bulk and choose minimally processed foods and more plant-based meals with less packaging. 

Sources for this article:

http://www.fao.org/world-food-day/about/en/