Theme 2024: Safe Food Today for a Healthy Tomorrow

The theme stresses that the production and consumption of safe food have long term positive effects “for people, the planet and the economy”. (twinkl.ie)

In our world today more than 800 million people do not have enough to eat.  (See: thereisadayforthat.com)

Extracted: 

Global hunger isn’t about a lack of food. Right now, the world produces enough food to nourish every child, woman and man on the planet.

But nearly a third of all food produced each year is squandered or lost before it can be consumed.

Here’s what you need to know:

• One-third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted globally. This amounts to about 1.3 billion tons per year, worth approximately US$1 trillion.
• All the food produced but never eaten would be sufficient to feed two billion people. That’s more than twice the number of undernourished people across the globe.
• If wasted food were a country, it would be the third-largest producer of carbon dioxide in the world, after the USA and China.
• Consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food as the entire net food production of sub-Saharan Africa each year
• In developing countries, 40 per cent of losses occur at post-harvest and processing levels.
• In industrialized countries, more than 40 per cent of losses happen at retail and consumer levels.
• Cutting global food waste in half by 2030 is one of the UN’s top priorities. In fact, it’s one of the organization’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Warning From Pope Francis

By Francesca Merlo

In a message to the International Fund for Agricultural Development, Pope Francis warns of the dangers of food waste, highlighting that it damages the climate whilst it could feed the world’s hungry.

The Holy Father noted that our world today faces a heart breaking dichotomy related to food.

“On the one hand, millions of people are plagued by hunger, while on the other hand, great insensitivity is seen in the waste of food,” he said.

This food-waste, the Pope noted, each year produces masses of greenhouse gases, while proper rationing would be enough to feed all the hungry.

 “We are pushing the world to dangerous limits.”

 

Sharing the Loaves and Fishes

Sharing the loaves and fishes,
You gave us an image of solidarity with the hungry, O Lord.
Sharing yourself in the bread and wine,
You called all to the table, O Lord.
Give me the hunger to be a part of the feeding
And the healing of this world.
Nourish me with your Grace,
So I may work with joy to serve your children.
Open my eyes and my heart
To recognize those in poverty
And increase my awareness
Of the structures and systems
That need to be changed
So we may all break bread together.
In your name we pray for the end of hunger.
(Education for Justice)

They recognised him in the sharing of the Bread

 

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