PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---  World Food Day (WFD) will be marked around the globe on Thursday, October 16 under the theme, “Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future.” 

According to the United Nations (UN) Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), is calling for global collaboration in creating a peaceful, sustainable, prosperous, and food-secure future.

“By working together, across governments, organizations, sectors, and communities, we can transform agrifood systems to ensure that everyone has access to a healthy diet, living in harmony with the planet,” the FAO says.

FAO adds, Agrifood systems are facing unprecedented challenges. “Conflict, the impacts of extreme weather and climate events, economic shocks, and rising inequality are placing mounting pressure on the land we farm, the water we depend on, and the biodiversity that supports life. Supply chains remain fragile, and the effects of disruption are being felt in homes, markets, and fields around the world.”

In some places, the severity of food insecurity is overwhelming. An estimated 673 million people world-wide are living with hunger. Elsewhere, rising levels of obesity and widespread food waste point to a system out of balance—where abundance and absence coexist, often side by side, the FAO pointed out.

Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor, as part of its annual public health calendar of observances, in connection with World Food Day, households are reminded to consume a diversity of nutritious foods on a daily basis.

CPS reminds the community that healthy diets are diverse, balanced in energy, and adequate to meet nutrient needs, along with wasting less, and helping to protect the soil, water, and biodiversity that make food possible.

CPS adds that there is a critical link between sustainability, healthy eating and national public health resilience. Unhealthy diets are one of the leading preventable risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Prevention is paramount.

CPS appeals to every resident and every institution—from schools to supermarkets—to actively choose and promote nutritious food systems. A sustainable diet is not just about what is available, but what we consume daily. It’s about eating more locally sourced produce, choosing whole grains over processed foods, and limiting excess sugar and sodium.

CPS advises consumers to read the label and to actively check food labels for sugar, salt, and fat content to make informed purchasing decisions.

Promote the establishment of community and backyard gardens to increase access to fresh, affordable produce and reduce reliance on imported goods.

The choices we make every day shape the world we live in. #Nourishing Our Future