UN chief urges lifesaving transformation of food systems

World Food Day is not lone a reminder of the value of what we devour to everyone connected the planet, but besides “a telephone to enactment to execute nutrient information astir the world”, the UN main said successful his connection marking the time connected Friday.

Commemorated annually connected 15 October, Secretary-General António Guterres pointed retired that currently, astir 40 per cent of humanity, immoderate 3 cardinal people, can’t spend to devour healthily.

And arsenic hunger, undernourishment, and obesity are connected the rise, the economical impacts of COVID-19 “have made a atrocious concern adjacent worse”, helium said, noting that the pandemic has near an further 140 cardinal radical “unable to entree the nutrient they need”.

For radical and planet

At the aforesaid time, the mode we produce, devour and discarded nutrient is taking a dense toll connected our planet.

“It is putting historical unit connected our earthy resources, clime and earthy situation - and costing america trillions of dollars a year”, warned the UN chief.

Reference this year’s taxable that the powerfulness to alteration is successful our hands, helium spelled retired that “our actions are our future”.

Turn commitments into actions

Last month, the satellite took portion successful the landmark UN Food Systems Summit, which acceptable the signifier to alteration nutrient systems everyplace to conscionable the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs ) by 2030.

The UN main recalled that during the summit, “countries made bold commitments” to marque steadfast diets much affordable and accessible and to marque nutrient systems “more efficient, resilient and sustainable astatine each step”.

“We tin each alteration however we devour food, and marque healthier choices – for ourselves, and our planet”, said the Secretary-General. “In our nutrient systems, determination is hope”.

‘Agri-food system’

An agri-food strategy comprises each the activities related to the production, processing, distribution, mentation and depletion of food.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), that’s thing we play a portion in, each clip we eat: “The nutrient we take and the mode we produce, prepare, navigator and store it marque america an integral and progressive portion of the mode successful which an agri-food strategy works”.

In a steadfast and sustainable agri-food system, section marketplace shelves are stocked with nutritious food, but little is wasted and the proviso concatenation is much resilient to shocks, specified arsenic utmost weather, terms spikes oregon pandemics – each without worsening biology degradation oregon clime change.  

“In fact, sustainable agri-food systems present nutrient information and nutrition for all, without compromising the economic, societal and biology bases, for generations to come” said the UN agriculture agency. “They pb to amended production, amended nutrition, a amended situation and a amended beingness for all.