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The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation celebrates World Food Day on 16 October each year to commemorate the organisation’s founding in 1945. It is a chance to show commitment to their Sustainable Development Goal to achieve Zero Hunger by 2030.

Emergency food supplies

Most of the issues the FAO deal with seem far removed from the comfort most of us in the UK live in but, sadly, hunger and poverty still blight the lives of many here at home. Last year, the Trussell Trust gave over 1.18 million three-day emergency food supplies to people in crisis – a new record high.

Food bank donations

Inspired by the work of the FAO and the Trussell Trust, Lyons Davidson will be running two activities. The first is a Food Bank Collection, with staff being asked to donate what each of our offices’ local food banks are looking for right now. These donations will make a real difference to people experiencing hunger in the communities around us.

Sharing food

World Food Day Buffet on a Budget: On Friday 20 October, each office will host a Buffet on a Budget – staff are encouraged to bring in food to share with colleagues, but they must not spend more than £5 on ingredients.

World Food Day facts

  • The world produces enough food to feed everyone, yet around 800 million (i.e. one in nine) people suffer from hunger. Sixty per cent of them are women;
  • 1.9 billion people – more than a quarter of the world’s population – are overweight;
  • About 80% of the world’s extreme poor live in rural areas. Most of them depend on agriculture;
  • One third of the food produced worldwide is lost or wasted;
  • Hunger kills more people every year than malaria, tuberculosis and aids combined;
  • The world will need to produce 60 percent more food by 2050 to feed a growing population;
  • Around 45 per cent of infant deaths are related to malnutrition;
  • No other sector is more sensitive to climate change than agriculture;
  • The cost of malnutrition to the global economy is the equivalent of USD 3.5 trillion a year;
  • FAO works mainly in rural areas, in 130 countries, with governments, civil society, the private sector and other partners to achieve #ZeroHunger.

For more information on any of the issues raised in this article, contact Divisional Manager Katherine Howells-Price by emailing [email protected].