International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2023

September 29, 2023 will be observed globally as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. The day provides an opportunity to call the public and the private sector to prioritize actions and plan innovations to reduce wastage and loss of food. This in turn will help in building and restoring better food systems. The Food Loss and Waste Day is an annual observance declared and recognized by the United Nations.

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2023 Date

Below mentioned are the upcoming dates for International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste  for the next 5 years.

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2023 Overview

Important Message from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations conveys some important message on the occasion of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. Here they go-

1. Food is never waste. By applying right practices, wasted food can be converted to compost, used to produce biogas, and avoid methane emissions.
2. As the population of the world continues to grow, our challenge should not be how to grow more food but reducing food loss and waste in a sustainable manner.
3. Reducing Food Waste is one of the most impactful climate solutions.
4. Prioritizing the reduction of food loss and waste is critical for the transition to sustainable food systems that improve use of natural resources, diminish planetary impacts and ensure food security.
5. Smart technologies and infrastructure to reduce food loss and waste are important to increase efficiency and reduce food system emissions.
6. Good governance, human capital development, collaboration and partnerships are essential in maximizing the positive impacts of reducing food loss and waste.

Significance of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste

The number of people affected by hunger is increasing progressively since the last decade and hundreds of tons of food are wasted every day. Also, the population of the world is growing exponentially which calls an urgent need to address the large quantities of food lost and wasted around the globe. The International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste provides the platform for discussing the food loss and wastage and looking for the ways to cut back on food loss.

This goal is stated in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which calls for halving the per capita global food waste at the retail and consumer levels and reducing losses at the production and supply chains.

History of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Observation

It is crucial that every person is aware of the food loss and waste issue and that there is the need for global efforts to resolve it. At its 74^th General Assembly in 2019, the United Nations adopted a resolution declaring 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.

The day emphasizes on recognizing the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition.

International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Celebration

Celebration of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is held globally. Both FAO and UNEP are active bodies involved with the observation of Food Loss and Waste Day and they jointly host multiple events, meetings and seminars on the importance of food and finding ways to reduce wastage of food. As an individual you can observe the day by taking a pledge to reduce wastage of food at your personal level and stop others from doing it as well.

Teach family and friends the importance of food and why reducing food loss is important. There will be no theme for International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste 2023 observation and the celebrations will be general.

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