World Food Day

End Poverty, End Hunger, End Malnutrition. 

When you give food to the poor, they call you a saint. When you ask why the poor have no food, they call you a communist - Archbishop Helder Camara.

World Food Day (WFD) is celebrated around the world on October 16th. At the start of every year the United Nations along with the FAO gives an official announcement highlighting a theme for each year's WFD. The theme gives focus to observances and helps increase understanding of problems and solutions in the drive to end hunger.

This year Sustainable Food Systems for Food Security and Nutrition will be the focus of World Food Day. If you look at the statistics, the numbers are shocking and the theme, fitting. As of today, according to the United Nations, there are 842 million hungry people on the planet. This means that 1 in every 8 people living on this planet suffers from chronic hunger. To make matters worse, the world's population is increasing by the day, and at these rates farmers will have to increase production by 60% to meet expected demands of food in 2014-2015. This is the Food Security that we're talking about.

Even if farmers do manage to increase production by 60% it does not necessarily translate to consumer's good nutrition. Two billion people around the world lack micro-nutrients that are needed for every human being's good health. This implies that we must start eating more fruits, vegetables and other nutrition-dense foods. 

Considering the fact that most of our food comes from farms that employ pesticides, the Food System is itself, faulty. A Food System refers to the process of consumers getting their food from "farm-to-fork". The marketing, the processing, the packing, the growing and the eating of food all make up the food system. Each aspect of this system is related and has an effect on us and the planet. Unless we start buying and eating healthier, the path will be grim, dusty and lonely. 

What are you doing to help save the planet today?

Useful links to get started: 

http://www.worldfooddayusa.org/about_us

http://www.fao.org/getinvolved/worldfoodday/en/

Your Foodista.