Pope Francis sternly denounces food waste and indifference to the millions of hungry people in the world.
Pope Francis
June 5, 2013
'When food is shared fairly, no one lacks what is necessary. Food that is thrown away is stolen from the table of the poor, the hungry.â?
Pope Francis
Dec. 9, 2013
'We cannot look the other way pretending that the problem does not exist. The food that is available in the world would suffice to suppress all hunger.'
These assertions were confirmed by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The agency claims that only a quarter of wasted food would be enough to end world hunger.
JORGE FONSECA
FAO Agro-industry Official
'He is right. It is true that we have so many people who may not even have two complete, nutritious, and safe meals a day and, at the same time, we are wasting so much food.'
A person in a prosperous country can throw away between 210 and 250 pounds of food a year. In sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, that amount is only between 6 and 11 kilos. In total, each year millions of tons of food are wasted.
JORGE FONSECA
FAO Agro-industry Official
'We are certain that it is a very big problem and if we can do anything ethically and technically to reduce hunger in the world, one of the ways is through the reduction of food losses and food waste.'
These figures are alarming and solutions must be global, but a small change of attitude may provide a solution to the problem.
JORGE FONSECA
FAO Agro-industry Official
'We know of some regions in the world where it is acceptable for the family cook a lot, even more than you know you are going to consume. That is a cultural aspect. It is also uncommon to eat the food that was prepared two days before, although it is still in good condition.'
The production of certain foods is also damaging the planet. This situation is paired with the fact that more than 870 million people in the world still go hungry.
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