On December 19, 2019, the United Nations General Assembly designated September 29 as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (IDAFLW), recognizing its value as a means of raising awareness on the importance of the problem and possible solutions, to all levels and at every stage of the food chain. The slogan chosen for the day, “Stop food loss and waste. For the people. For the planet "summarizes how much the fight against food waste can mean for all of us: first of all, guaranteeing equity of access to food, counteracting the dichotomy that sees millions of undernourished people on the one hand and even more afflicted by diseases deriving from the other from poor nutrition (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and oncological diseases). The second part of the slogan recalls the importance that the fight against waste has for the protection of the environment: for example, the quantity of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere as a result of food waste is comparable to that produced by the great industrial powers (USA and China ahead). Globally, the number of people in food distress has continued to increase over the past five years and the COVID-19 pandemic is further jeopardizing the food and nutrition security of a huge number of people around the world, including in Western countries. Indeed, it is estimated that people in need could reach 132 million.To this dramatic picture must be added the deterioration of ecosystems and the impact of climate change. During the inaugural event of the Day, FAO representatives and their partners called on the entire community to commit to reducing food losses and waste, so as to avoid a further collapse of food security and a depletion of natural resources. Inger Andersen, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program, urged governments to incorporate the problem of food loss and waste into their national climate strategies. "So far, only 11 countries have included the issue of food losses in their nationally determined contributions, while none have introduced the item on food waste. Including food loss and waste and the goal of sustainable diets in the revised climate plans, policymakers can improve their ability to mitigate and adapt to climate change through food systems by as much as 25 percent”, Andersen explained. The initiatives that have taken place all over the world have been innumerable; shortly we will publish on this site a press review with the most interesting news. Stay tuned!.
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