G20: Cutting Food Loss and Waste is an Opportunity to Improve Food Security

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India, December 15, 2021: Community members in Sowripalayam outside of Coimbatore stand in line to receive a nutritious meal from No Food Waste. Credit: The Global FoodBanking Network / Narayana Swamy SubbaramanBy Lisa MoonCHICAGO, USA, Aug 8 2023 (IPS) With the ongoing global food crisis—triggered by the COVID pandemic, disasters, supply chain disruptions, and conflict in Ukraine—food security should be at the top of the G20 agenda when countries gather in India in September 2023. Food security and national security are closely intertwined. Throughout history, countries that have suffered from extreme hunger and malnutrition have been vulnerable to civil unrest, along with diminished economic productivity and exacerbated inequity. Having a robust and resilient food system is critical for G20 countries, which together represent around 85 percent of global gross domestic product and are home to two-thirds of the world’s population. In addition, G20 countries produce as much as 80 percent of the world’s cereals and account for a similar proportion of global agricultural exports. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recognized this imperative, recently saying in a message to G20 Agricultural Ministers: “I urge you to deliberate on how to undertake collective action to achieve global food security.” Yet, with more than 735 million people facing food insecurity in 2022, about half of whom are in G20 countries, the food system clearly needs ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Armed Conflicts Climate Change COVID-19 Economy & Trade Food and Agriculture Food Security and Nutrition Global Headlines Inequity TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau Source Type: news