The UN has commemorated World Food Day in Rome, because the headquarters of the FAO that deals with this global emergency is located in this city.
This year they proposed “Healthy diets for a #ZeroHunger world.”
One in nine people go hungry, almost always because of war, climate crisis and marginalization.
Pope Francis has sent a message to the summit and has asked that it hears the “cry” of the people who suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Its official representative read the text.
FERNANDO CHICA ARELLANO
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to FAO
“We must come to realize that we are accumulating and wasting the bread of the poor.”
Pope Francis warned about the diet of “obese communities” and linked it to problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular and degenerative diseases. Additionally, there is an increasing number of deaths from anorexia and bulimia.
Chinese FAO General-Director, Qu Dongyu, thanked him for the message. In his speech, he warned that hunger and malnutrition will be the main obstacles to meeting the 2030 development goals.
Despite the problem of hunger, a billion tons of food are thrown out every year. This is why the UN says the first step is to change production and consumption habits to avoid waste.
This is something that not only depends on institutions, but on every individual person.