World food day 2020: Guide to action

World Food Day 2020 is October 16^th, and 2020 marks the 75^th anniversary of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

What is World Food Day?

On World Food Day 2020, governments, businesses, NGOs, the media, and the general public across 150 countries will take collective action. It’s a day for everyone to come together and promote global awareness of those who suffer from hunger.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations points out a few key facts:

• 14% of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted between the stages where it is grown or raised to when it reaches the wholesale market.
   
  • More on the problems and consequences of food waste.
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• More than 2 billion people are food insecure and nearly 690 million people are hungry – up 10 million since 2019. Additionally, The COVID-19 pandemic could add another 83-132 million people to this statistic, depending on economic growth and recovery.
  
  

Future food systems will have to address these and other issues. To that end, together, we as individuals and businesses have to consider what we can do to take action. So, how will we ensure that everyone has access to affordable and healthy diets? Moreover, how will we work to guarantee decent livelihoods for food system workers? And how will we preserve natural resources and biodiversity while tackling the issue of climate change?

What You Can Do

As consumers, individuals have the power to make a difference. Our purchases influence what suppliers, farmers, and growers produce. So, making the right choices leads to a more sustainable food system.

To that end, the FAO offers several suggestions, including choosing to buy seasonal and local grocery items, or even growing food at home!

OneThird also recommends donating food that would otherwise be tossed. This simple action will help feed members of your own community while preventing food waste in your home.

Resources For Preventing Food Waste at Home

• Food donation programs in the United States
• Can you be sued for donating food?
• 30 Day Food Waste Challenge
• How to Reduce Household Food Waste with Smoothies, Vegetable Juices, and Sorbets
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Is your business part of the food system or food supply chain? Look no further for ways to prevent food loss and boost your company’s sustainability efforts.

Resources For Preventing Food Loss in the Supply Chain

• 5 ways food spectroscopy is already used
• 9 methods to extend the shelf life of fresh produce
• 11 methods to reduce food waste for retailers and distributors
• Different ways AI is used in the food system
• Shortcomings of cold chain temperature monitoring
• Walmart’s Eden to save $2 billion in food waste (and how to replicate it)
• What is dynamic routing and how does it work for fresh produce?
• What is objective quality control?
• Why you need to use FEFO for fresh produce
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OneThird’s Mission and World Food Day

OneThird is a part of Friends of Champions 12.3, a group focused on achieving United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 12.3.

To do our part, we provide the fresh produce supply chain with solutions that enable retailers, distributors, and growers to better assess the quality of produce and optimize its routing, thus maximizing efficiency. To learn more about how OneThird can help your business, contact us, or email us directly at info@onethird.io.