Today, October 16th is World Food Day, and also marks the close of the UN World Food Programme's #StopTheWaste initiative, which looks to reduce food waste worldwide to help ease the burden on our environment and spread awareness about food insecurity.

The United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP)  is the largest humanitarian organization to fight global hunger and was awarded the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize for its efforts to combat food insecurity. By reversing the food loss we incur daily, we would have enough food to feed 2 billion people worldwide, which would more than cover meals for the 690 million people who are food insecure around the globe.

The #StopTheWaste program seeks to encourage people to reduce food waste, and the WFP has recruited celebrity ambassador Kate Hudson and other celebrity friends like Jermaine Dupri to amplify this message.

"With 1 in 9 people still going to bed hungry every night I am happy to help the Nobel Peace Prize winner, The United Nations World Food Programme spread the word with their #StopTheWaste initiative. All of us need to do our part to end world hunger," said Jermaine Dupri, Grammy-award winning music producer, longtime vegan, and The Beet's Creative Director.

Here are some simple ways you can reduce your food waste:

  1. Keep track of what you’ve bought and used: Take a photo of your cupboards to remind you of what you have. Use the WFP's food diary to help.
  2. Check use-by dates rather than best-before dates. Buy what you can use before it expires.
  3. Plan for the week ahead and think about what you can do with leftovers. Check out The Beet's recipes here.
  4. Meal prep: Use your spare time to batch-cook and freeze meals.

In 2019, the World Food Programme and partners distributed 4.2 million tons of lifesaving food, often in very harsh conditions. Improving packaging is one of the ways in which WFP strives to ensure as little as possible of this valuable food is lost. By providing cash assistance, WFP is enabling the people it serves to choose which food to buy, when, and in which quantities. You can make a donation to WFP USA here to help reduce waste and fight hunger worldwide.

 

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