PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- World Food Day (WFD) will be marked around the globe on Wednesday, October 16 under the theme, “Right to foods for a better life and a better future.”
According to the United Nations (UN) Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), “‘Foods stands for diversity, nutrition, affordability, and safety. A greater diversity of nutritious foods should be available in our fields, in our markets, and on our tables, for the benefit of all.”
FAO adds, “The world's farmers produce enough food to feed more than the global population yet, hunger persists. Around 733 million people are facing hunger in the world due to repeated weather shocks, conflicts, economic downturns, inequality, and the pandemic.
“This impacts the poor and vulnerable most severely, many of whom are agricultural households, reflecting widening inequalities across and within countries.
“Food is the third most basic human need after air and water – everyone should have the right to adequate food. Human rights such as the right to food, life and liberty, work and education are recognised by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and two legally binding international covenants.”
FAO adds, over 2.8 billion people in the world are unable to afford a healthy diet. “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.
“Yet today, 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.”
Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, as part of its annual public health calendar of observances, in connection with World Food Day, households need to consume a diversity of nutritious foods on a daily basis.
CPS reminds the community that healthy diets are diverse, balanced in energy, and adequate to meet nutrient needs.
In this period of various discussions on Climate Change and Food Security, CPS calls on the community to collectively take action for the future of water, food, people, and the planet.
