If you go around asking people, you will find that everyone has something different and interesting to say about food. Some may even relate it to emotions, and why not? Food, after all, has been our constant source of happiness. Delve into a hot bowl of noodles or a hot cup of tea or whatever your favourite delight is, and you will realize what true bliss food can be.
Given, the importance of food in our lives, it seems legit to have a day dedicated to it, doesn’t it? However, although this notion makes a lot of sense, the celebration of World Food Day is for a far greater cause.
What is the World Food Day actually about?
World Food Day is an event that is observed as an opportunity for people to pledge their commitment towards the eradication of hunger from the world. Observed on October 16th every year, the World Food Day was first celebrated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations.
On occasion of the World Food Day, events are held in 150 countries with a goal to spread awareness about hunger as a major problem, and about those suffering from it. Encouraging actions to ensure food security and nutritious diets for all is also a big part of the whole event.
Through the organization of such events, FAO essentially aims at achieving “Zero Hunger” by 2030.
The issue and how this can be resolved
Strange though it may seem, the grave issue of world hunger is on the rise again. As per the FAO, around 815 million people out of the global population of 7.6 billion have been suffering from hunger, as of the year 2016.
Unfortunately, even in times of rapid global change and development, issues related to climate change, extreme weather, conflicts, and economic slowdown have had a major impact on nutrition. Then there are other issues like obesity and malnutrition that have been reversing any progress brought about in this respect.
World Food Day happens to be one of the most significant days in the UN calendar, and hindering food wastage is one of the major action plans that the organization stresses upon, to exterminate hunger from the world.
Again, with increasing population, various countries export food products to other nations to meet the rising demand for food. So, the focus shouldn’t simply be on meeting the requirement but seeing to it that the food products exported are as per International Standards. Given the re-emergence of world hunger, it’s time we came up with better preparations to mitigate the problem.
Standards for Food Safety Management
International Standards for food safety assist in addressing major challenges, including those mentioned above, in a safe and effective manner. The International Standards for Food Safety Management essentially lays down guidelines for the best practices to be observed in food production methods and testing, thus promoting quality, safety and efficiency across the global food industry.
These guidelines are quite expansive, and cover a variety of issues from food production to packaging for industry professionals, alongside addressing issues related to hygiene, additives and food labelling, for the benefit of the consumers.
Corresponding to the above, the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) published IS/ISO 22000:2018, “Food Safety Management Systems – Requirements for any Organization in The Food Chain (First Revision)”. Developed within the ISO high level structure, this document facilitates an organization to undertake a safe approach that is in agreement with other management systems and supporting standards.
How can you contribute to the cause?
World hunger is a big issue, and all our hopes to eradicate hunger shall only come true when people across communities, professions and nations at large, come together to act upon it. Every bit done on this front shall count, which is why you can start with a basic approach like reducing food wastage at home. A few tips for achieving the same include –
Besides, the above, you can also engage yourself with non-profit organizations or NGOs that work towards donation of food or leftovers.
Men, women and children deprived of a necessity like food makes for a sad scenario that no one should have to face, ever. Let’s pledge this World Food Day to do our bit in this direction. Let’s save a life, let’s share a bit.
Written By: P Rajesh, Head FAD, BIS
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Title : One thought on “Contribute to making the world better this World Food Day”
Thanks for the great post