World Food Day is a day when food takes centre stage. It draws global attention to global food security. The day is held annually on 16 October. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations organises activities and conferences around World Food Day. About 150 countries participate in this. Each year, a different theme takes centre stage. Organisations then pay attention to a more equal distribution of food around the world. For example, by serving a world meal.
Based on FAO figures, it calculated Global Foundation How much food is currently available per world population. With fair food distribution, these are the following amounts per person per day:
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation tracks how much food is produced worldwide. It estimates that the earth could even yield enough for double the current world population.
This is partly related to the way we grow, distribute and consume food. Globalisation has spread food production around the world, making many countries dependent on it. The distribution network of food has proved vulnerable. The war in Ukraine, for example, clearly shows this. The central dilemma we now face is; should we return to local food production, in harmony with nature? Or on the contrary, intensify our global production and distribution and fully commit to technology and development? The answer will lie somewhere in the middle.
'World meals' based on fair world food distribution will be organised in various places around 16 October. Among others in: The Hague, Twente, Munnekeburen, Amsterdam, Enschede, Dordrecht, Den Bosch, Breda, Tilburg, Oss, Cuijk, Roosendaal, Bergen op Zoom, Eindhoven and Utrecht.
The 'World Meal' in particular expresses that the earth can produce more than enough food to serve a full meal to all the world's inhabitants every day. Food enough for everyone! Hunger in the world is not a result of lack, but of unequal distribution.
In a 'World Meal', a person eats no more food than is available in a fair global food distribution. Those who imagine a 'World Meal' to be a frugal or meagre meal will be surprised: it is a spacious, tasty and nutritious meal that can consist of three courses!
The 'World Meal' concept recommends using organically grown products from your own region and sourcing import ingredients as much as possible through fair trade: products with the 'Fair Trade' or 'Max Havelaar' label and products from the World Shop.
Source: Oxfam Novib and Beleven.org
