HAPPY WORLD FOOD DAY! LET'S STOP FOOD HUNGER! LET'S STOP FOOD WASTE! LET'STOP WORLD POVERTY!! "World Food Day is an international day celebrated every year worldwide on October 16th to commemorate the date of the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in 1945. The day is celebrated widely by many other organizations concerned with hunger and food security, including the World Food Programme, the World Health Organization and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. WFP received the Nobel Prize in Peace for 2020 for their efforts to combat hunger, contribute to peace in conflict areas, and for playing a leading role in stopping the use of hunger in the form of a weapon for war and conflict." Text source: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Food_Day ==== "Worldwide, tonnes of edible food are lost or wasted every day. Between harvest and retail alone, around 14 percent of all food produced globally is lost. Huge quantities of food are also wasted in retail or at the consumer level. ©ElRoi/shutterstock.com For many people in the world, food waste has become a habit: buying more food than we need at markets, letting fruits and vegetables spoil at home or taking larger portions than we can eat. These habits put extra strain on our natural resources and damage our environment. When we waste food, we waste the labour, effort, investment and precious resources (like water, seeds, feed, etc.) that go into producing it, not to mention the resources that go into transporting and processing it. In short, wasting food increases greenhouse gas emissions and contributes to climate change. Here are some easy actions you can take to re-connect to food and what it stands for: 1. Adopt a healthier, more sustainable diet Life is fast-paced and preparing nutritious meals can be a challenge, but healthy meals don't have to be elaborate. The internet is full of quick healthy recipes that you can share with your family and friends 2. Buy only what you need Plan your meals. Make a shopping list and stick to it, and avoid impulse buys. Not only will you waste less food, you’ll also save money! 3. Pick ugly fruit and vegetables Don’t judge food by its appearance! Oddly-shaped or bruised fruits and vegetables are often thrown away because they don’t meet arbitrary cosmetic standards. Don’t worry - they taste the same! Use mature fruit for smoothies, juices and desserts. 4. Store food wisely Move older products to the front of your cupboard or fridge and new ones to the back. Use airtight containers to keep open food fresh in the fridge and ensure packets are closed to stop insects from getting in. 5. Understand food labelling There’s a big difference between “best before” and “use-by” dates. Sometimes food is still safe to eat after the “best before” date, whereas it’s the “use-by” date that tells you when it is no longer safe to eat. Check food labels for unhealthy ingredients such as trans fats and preservatives and avoid foods with added sugar or salt. 6. Start small Take smaller portions at home or share large dishes at restaurants. 7. Love your leftovers If you don’t eat everything you make, freeze it for later or use the leftovers as an ingredient in another meal. 8. Put your food waste to use Instead of throwing away your food scraps, compost them. This way you are giving nutrients back to the soil and reducing your carbon footprint. 9. Respect food Food connects us all. Re-connect with food by knowing the process that goes into making it. Read about food production and get to know your farmers. 10. Support local food producers By buying local produce, you support family farmers and small businesses in your community. You also help fight pollution by reducing delivery distances for trucks and other vehicles. 11. Keep fish populations afloat Eat fish species that are more abundant, such as mackerel or herring, rather than those that are at risk of being overfished, like cod or tuna. Buy fish that has been caught or farmed sustainably, such as eco-labelled or certified fish. 12. Use less water We can’t produce food without water! While it’s important that farmers use less water to grow food, reducing food waste also saves all the water resources that went into producing it. Reduce your water intake in other ways too: fixing leaks or turning off the water while brushing your teeth! 13. Keep our soils and water clean Some household waste is potentially hazardous and should never be thrown in a regular rubbish bin. Items such as batteries, paints, mobile phones, medicine, chemicals, fertilizers, tires, ink cartridges, etc. can seep into our soils and water supply, damaging the natural resources that produce our food. 14. Eat more pulses and veggies Once a week, try eating a meal based on pulses or ‘ancient’ grains like quinoa. 15. Sharing is caring Donate food that would otherwise be wasted. For example, Apps can connect neighbours with each other and with local businesses so surplus food can be shared, not thrown away" Read full article here: https://www.fao.org/fao-stories/article/en/c/1309609/ ===== United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 2 "Zero hunger" The world is not on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal 2 "Zero Hunger" by 2030! "After decades of steady decline, the number of people who suffer from hunger – as measured by the prevalence of undernourishment – began to slowly increase again in 2015. Current estimates show that nearly 690 million people are hungry, or 8.9 percent of the world population – up by 10 million people in one year and by nearly 60 million in five years. The world is not on track to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030. If recent trends continue, the number of people affected by hunger would surpass 840 million by 2030. According to the World Food Programme, 135 million suffer from acute hunger largely due to man-made conflicts, climate change and economic downturns. The COVID-19 pandemic could now double that number, putting an additional 130 million people at risk of suffering acute hunger by the end of 2020. With more than a quarter of a billion people potentially at the brink of starvation, swift action needs to be taken to provide food and humanitarian relief to the most at-risk regions. At the same time, a profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed if we are to nourish the more than 690 million people who are hungry today – and the additional 2 billion people the world will have by 2050. Increasing agricultural productivity and sustainable food production are crucial to help alleviate the perils of hunger." Text source: https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/hunger/ George Florin Staicu Global Ambassador of Sustainability(UNESCO, UN Habitat & American University of Dubai);Banking, SME, microfinance consultant, trainer; member of International Finance Corporation's GLC Directory of Training Professionals