The World food day is observed on October 16 in honor of the establishment of the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization) of the UN.
This day is celebrated each year with different themes to focus on areas that require action and offer a common objective, to address global hunger and strive to eradicate hunger around the world.
The theme for this year’s World Food Day 2020 is “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. Our actions are our future”.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations stated on its official website that, “World Food Day 2020 marks the 75th anniversary of FAO in an exceptional moment as countries around the world deal with the widespread effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a time to look into the future we need to build together.”
The organization further added that “As countries deal with the widespread effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, World Food Day 2020 will highlight how food and agriculture are an essential part of the COVID-19 response. World Food Day 2020 will call for global cooperation and solidarity to help the most vulnerable to recover from the crisis. It will call on countries to build back better by making food systems more resilient and robust so they can withstand increasing volatility and climate shocks, deliver healthy and sustainable diets for all, and decent livelihoods for food system workers”.
World food day
Promoting food security all over the world, especially in times of crisis, is the key concept that World Food Day celebrates. The UN launch of the Food and Agriculture Organization has played an enormous role in advancing this worthy goal. Its annual celebration marks the importance of this organization and helps to raise awareness of the urgent need for governments around the world to enact effective agricultural policies to ensure that enough food is available for everyone.
Make food habits healthy and sustainable
On this day, we must emphasize that climate change is a reality and that we all need to do something to protect our earth by making life sustainable and energy renewable. You may not realize, but any small thing you do has an immense effect on our world. In this, food also plays a key role.
Here are some ways to make healthy food and sustainable habits a part of our lifestyle.
Stop wasting food
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Your mother will make sure you finished every piece left on the plate when you were a little kid and stop every time you were about to waste food. It was strict, isn’t it? And you had to finish all the items you took on your plate, including bitter-tasting vegetables or any other vegetables you didn’t like. It will be the habit of most of the people. But, you would be shocked to discover the amount of food waste from any restaurant, hotel, or even an urban home. The amount of food waste collected from the world is enough to strive for the hunger of three-fourth of this world population. While the impoverished population is starving, some of us are mindless about the numerous options we are lucky to be surrounded by.
Seasonal eating
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Healthy food is the key to a healthy life. But, we mostly fall victim to the vicious cycle of mass production, and more often to unnatural means, as we have the privilege of selecting all sorts of fruits and vegetables from the supermarkets. It is not without purpose when our elders remind us that everything has a season and a time. The red carrots and oranges taste the best during winters and the juicy mangoes are for summer. Like this, every food item has its own time of serving.
According to a study in Japan, the major difference in the vitamin C content of spinach harvested during summer compared to winter. Similarly, a study conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in London, England, found that there were major variations in the nutrient content of pasteurized milk during the summer compared to the winter season, due to differences in the consistency of the diet of cows fed with more salt-preserved foods during the winter season.
So it is better to have an eye on the seasonal map to learn what fruits and vegetables are in season to get healthy food and prepare your diet as per that. This way, you have a really good chance of eating healthy food.
Opt for organic items
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Going organic is the only way ahead of a healthy life. Most of the foods available on the markets are all packed with chemicals and pesticides, which can end up causing different adverse effects on our body over the years, such as cancer and so on. The processing of such packet foods has to be stopped if you stop buying chemical-laden foods, and finally, it will be safer for the cultivation of crops and the soil used for cultivation. This action helps in the healthy life of the people and the safety of the environment.
For food cook yourself
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Another habit to stay healthy and sustainable is to start cooking your own food. The advantages of eating self-prepared food are enormous. The busy lives you live today always prefer to dine out and get your hands on some fast food to curb those hunger. This is where you make a mistake. Bid farewell to packaged, processed, and fast food, and start cooking for yourself and your family. The best part is the cooked food by you will be more hygienic and it will prevent you from eating excess salt, sugar, oil and so on. And also cooking with family members will strengthen your relationship too.
Spare the fish
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Most of the people love to eat dishes made up of fishes. In particular, as most of the people are waiting to order your favourite fish from the monsoon. Monsoon is the breeding season of fish, but as the demand increased, it is not spared even at that time. According to Greenpeace, nearly 80 percent of the fish population is on the brink of collapsing. The eating habits cannot be changed, but sparing the fish in its time of breeding is necessary. By doing this, it will help to maintain the marine ecological balance.
