World Food Day is celebrated every year on 16 October.
First commemorated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1979, World Food Day aims to promote healthy diets and eradicate hunger issues by 2030.
World Food Day 2024 is celebrated under the theme “Right to foods for a better life and a better future”. “Foods” stands for diversity, nutrition, affordability, accessibility, and safety. A greater diversity of nutritious foods should be available in our fields, fishing nets, markets, and on our tables, for the benefit of all.
Six years from 2030, hunger and food insecurity trends are not yet moving in the right direction to end hunger and food insecurity (Sustainable Development Goal Target 2.1) by 2030.
The world’s farmers produce enough food to feed more than the global population, yet hunger persists.
Billions of people still lack access to nutritious, safe, and sufficient food. Nevertheless, progress in many countries provides hope of the possibility of getting back on track towards hunger and malnutrition eradication. Implementing policies, investments and legislation needed to revert the current trends of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition requires proper financing for food security and nutrition.
Unhealthy diets are the leading cause of all forms of malnutrition, undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity, which now exist in most countries, cutting across socio-economic classes.
Too many people suffer from hunger and are unable to afford healthy diets. More vulnerable people are often forced to rely on staple foods or less expensive foods that can be unhealthy, while others suffer from the unavailability of fresh or varied foods, lack the information they need to choose a healthy diet, or simply opt for convenience.
Governments, the private sector, farmers, academia, civil society, and individuals need to work together to ensure a greater variety of nutritious, affordable, accessible, safe, and sustainable foods to achieve food security and healthy diets for all. Together, we can be the change.
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