World Food Day

Food isn’t just something tasty that we can indulge in; instead, it’s something that we need to survive. It’s fair to say that access to food is a human right that everyone in the world should be entitled to. Despite this, upwards of 10% of people across the globe experience chronic hunger on a daily basis.

It was in 1945 that the United Nations deemed access to food a human right, which led to the World Food Safety Day movement. Every year since 1979, we have observed World Food Day in an effort to highlight the prominence of world hunger and make steps towards eradicating it.

What is World Food Day?

Not only is World Food Day about celebrating delicious food that many of us have the privilege of indulging in, but it’s also about recognising those who are deprived of it. The hunger crisis is a global concern and one that must be addressed and combatted. When you’re someone who’s able to indulge in any sort of food you desire, it seems bizarre to think that some people aren’t even able to access a loaf of bread or a bag of rice. Consequently, World Food Day is predominantly about acknowledging malnutrition and starvation as a massive global issue that we should all be concerning ourselves with this.

When is World Food Day 2022?

Every year, World Food Day is observed on 16 October, and this year is no exception. As a result, people across the globe will be observing World Food Day on this date and potentially partaking in various activities to help fight the hunger crisis.

International World Food Day Activities

There are many activities that one can partake in on World Food Day to do their bit for the hunger crisis. For instance, most towns or cities have a handful of food banks that accept both food donations and volunteers. Whether you drop off a bag of non-perishable food goods, offer your time to help the running of the food bank, or even both, your actions will have meant that a hungry person has been fed on World Food Day.

Ideally, World Food Day falls on a Sunday this year, providing you with the perfect opportunity to organise a fundraising event. Top fundraising ideas include raffles, bake sales, sponsored walks, and much more. Not only do fundraising events attract donations to a worthy cause, but they also raise awareness of the issue at hand.

Another way in which you can observe World Food Day is by offering your support to small-scale farms. 98% of farms globally are family farms, yet so many of us give our money to large corporations by buying our fruit and vegetables from the supermarket. As a result, not only are farmers unable to afford the production of enough crops to make a living, but many of them suffer from malnutrition themselves. Shop local or Fairtrade this World Food Day.

As with food banks, the majority of towns and cities also have a soup kitchen. A soup kitchen ensures that hungry people are provided with a hot meal, and these spaces welcome volunteers to help with the serving of food, as well as everything else that goes into this. By volunteering your time at a soup kitchen, you can help ensure that hungry people in your local area have access to at least one hot meal on this day.

Wherever you live, it’s likely that you’ll encounter at least one rough sleeper on a somewhat regular basis. Since rough sleepers have no steady income or a stable home, it’s likely that they haven’t eaten for quite some time. Therefore, you can do your bit on World Food Day by providing them with something to eat or giving them some money to buy some food.

Last but not least, Muslim Aid is accepting your donations this World Food Day to feed the hungry on a global scale. We operate throughout Bangladesh, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Myanmar, Pakistan, Palestine, Somalia, Sri Lanka, and Sudan, meaning we can put your donations to use in the most impoverished of communities.

The Importance of World Food Day

One of the most important aspects of World Food Day is that it raises awareness of world hunger. As many as 829 million people across the globe suffer from the health effects of malnourishment, resulting in the irreversible damage to growing brains and bodies. Consequently, hunger needs to be addressed as a global crisis, and food security needs to be acknowledged as a basic right.

In addition to the awareness of hunger itself, World Food Day also reminds us that world hunger can be ended. There’s enough food on the planet to feed every single person; yet, 1.3 billion tons of food is wasted on an annual basis, which equates to around 20% of the food produced. World Food Day acts as a driving force to get involved, limit food waste, and give what we can to those in need.

Finally, World Food Day encourages us to eat mindfully. For many people in developed countries, food is much more than a source of survival; it also contributes to our pleasure and entertainment. As a result, this makes both overindulgence and food waste common. World Food Day reminds us that more than 10% of the global population goes to bed hungry, which encourages us to be mindful about our own eating. This mindfulness can help us refrain from overeating and guide us towards ecologically sustainable choices.

Happy World Food Day from Muslim Aid

As previously mentioned, Muslim Aid is accepting your donations this World Food Day. Help us combat the global hunger crisis here.