By Agnes Kalibata
Our food systems must change to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Food is more than what we eat.
It’s more than what satisfies our hunger. It’s more than what nourishes our bodies and our brains. It’s more than a cultural centerpiece or even an Instagram picture. Food is water, land, culture, labor, technology, economics, and policies.
In a word, food is everything.
Today, our relationship with food is strained. The way we produce, process and consume food – what experts call “food systems” – is a paradox.
Over the last 50 years, our ability to produce food has gone up by nearly 300 percent thanks to our incredible ability to innovate. Despite this progress, the number of people going to bed hungry each night has increased to 820 million over the last three years. Yet, we waste 35 per cent of all the food we produce equivalent to a loss of US$936 billion annually.
Additionally, we are not eating well. About 2 billion people are obese or have food related diseases. Fruits and vegetables account for only 11 per cent of global food production, despite recommendations that they should make up around half of our diet. Read more…
