Interesting facts and details about world food day!

What is world food day all about?

World Food Day, celebrated on the 16th of October, commemorates the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations in 1945. The day aims to eradicate hunger on a global level. The main goal is to celebrate the promotion of food security around the world, especially during difficult times. FAO has played an important role in achieving its goal.

This significant day is observed by over 150 countries worldwide.

What is the importance of world food day?

World Food Day 2022 focuses on an overlooked aspect, food systems. Despite the availability of sufficient food throughout the world, many issues such as hunger, obesity, environmental deterioration, and climate change are among the many challenges that countries face. World Food Day aims to combat this by promoting social protection programs, environment-conscious agricultural practices, and a more resilient food system. This will ensure that hunger-related problems around the world are reduced.

Five facts about food and nutrition-

• According to a joint report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, and UNICEF, the global wasting prevalence in 2017 was estimated to be nearly 8%.
• One in eight people around the world is undernourished while 1.9 billion people in the world are overweight.
• According to the United Nations, 820 million people suffer from hunger, and 155 million children are chronically malnourished.
• Every five seconds, a child dies as a result of a hunger-related disease.
• According to UNICEF, approximately 3.1 million children die from malnutrition each year.

Here’s why celebrating world food day is essential-

It contributes to spreading awareness

Millions of people are suffering from malnutrition, which affects and damages their brains. This is a fatal health crisis caused due to the lack of nutritious food and needs urgent attention. World food day can help draw attention to this issue and help ensure food security and the availability of nutritious foods for everyone. 

A mild reminder that hunger can be ended

Our planet currently produces enough food to feed everyone on the globe. However, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted each year (roughly 20% of total food production). World Food Day serves as a catalyst for people to get involved, reduce food waste, and help feed millions.

It teaches us to eat mindfully

Food is a source of pleasure, and we tend to eat more than is necessary. We order three to four dishes, and one of them ends up wasted. World food day is like a reminder to eat mindfully and consider that millions of people are unable to fix one meal for themselves. Please be considerate and start afresh with a positive mindset and attitude.

How did COVID-19 affect food around the world?

COVID-19 stormed into our lives like an unwanted guest and created chaos. Everyone was instructed to stay indoors, and stepping out to buy food was a huge task. Though some managed to overcome this situation, many were on the verge of starvation due to the non-availability of food.

COVID-19 is undoing decades of progress in the global fight against poverty and hunger in low and middle-income countries around the globe. Malnutrition, starvation, and chronic health issues are serious and potentially fatal realities for poor children. Food security has become an even greater risk for the poor.

The lack of employment during the pandemic made purchasing food difficult or impossible, and as the global supply chain broke down, many communities faced food shortages. The poor were the ones who suffered the most when this occurred. When food was available, the prices soared up, making things difficult because sources of employment and income faded away.

What is food security?

Food security refers to having enough food to live a healthy lifestyle. To ensure food security-

• People must be able to purchase food.
• Food supply chains must be dependable.
• There must be sufficient food reserves or supply chains for a variety of  food products to ensure that food access is not disrupted.
• The food available must be nutritious so that those who consume it can live active, healthy lives.

Here’s a list of world food day themes from the past five years-

Year	Theme
2017	Change the Future of Migration. Invest in Food Security and Rural Development
2018	Our Actions are Our Future
2019	Healthy diets for a zero hunger world
2020	Grow, nourish, sustain. Together. Our actions are our future
2021	Safe food today for a healthy tomorrow

Key takeaways

• World food day is celebrated to ensure we eat mindfully and spread awareness about hunger-related issues across the globe.
• According to statistics,  1.3 billion tons of food are wasted each year. This can be prevented by proper awareness and social campaigns.
• COVID-19 pandemic was a real challenge for people with financial instability, and almost no food to consume on a daily basis. 

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FAQs

Q1. What is the theme for World Food Safety Day 2022?

Answer- The theme for World Food Safety Day 2022 is ‘Safer Food, Better Health’.

Q2. How many national food days are celebrated in the USA?

Answer- The USA has over 175 days related to awareness of specific foods or drinks, which are celebrated across the country.

Q3. What are the five keys to food safety?

Answer- The core messages of the five keys to safe food are (1) keep clean (2) separate raw and cooked (3) cook thoroughly (4) keep food at safe temperatures and (5) use safe water and raw materials.