United Nations Secretary-General Antonion Guterres on Saturday, October 16, called for “transformative action” in the way the world produces, consumes, and wastes food.
His remarks came on the occasion of World Food Day, whose theme this year is “Our actions are our future.”
In a massage issued on the occasion, Guterres reminded the world that around 40 percent of the world — roughly 3 billion people — cannot afford a healthy diet.
“Hunger is on the rise,” he said. “So too are undernourishment and obesity.”
The economic impacts of Covid-19 have made a bad situation even worse, he said. “The pandemic has left an additional 140 million people unable to access the food they need.”
At the same time, “the way we produce, consume, and waste food is taking a heavy toll on our planet,” stressed Guterres.
“It is putting historic pressure on our natural resources, climate and natural environment — and costing us trillions of dollars a year,” he said.
The UN chief recounted how the world gathered for the United Nations Food Systems Summit in September, where “countries made bold commitments” to transform food systems “to make healthy diets more affordable and accessible.”
The countries also promised to “make food systems more efficient, resilient and sustainable at every step — from production and processing, to marketing, transportation and delivery.”
He then urged the world to make better choices: “We can all change how we consume food, and make healthier choices — for ourselves, and our planet.”