Earth Day

Citation

(2012), "Earth Day", Nutrition & Food Science, Vol. 42 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/nfs.2012.01742eaa.009

Earth Day

Article Type: Food facts From: Nutrition & Food Science, Volume 42, Issue 5

Worldwide, 30 per cent of food is wasted, one billion people go to bed hungry each night while another one billion suffer from health problems related to obesity, and agriculture contributes one-third of global greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, young people are increasingly disconnected from how their food is grown, making solutions to the global agricultural system seem even further out of reach.

In response to these problems, the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) is releasing a report, Eating Planet, highlighting the challenges facing today’s food and agricultural system, as well as the myriad benefits that reform could bring. As Earth Day appreciated the linkages between technology, culture, and agriculture, and how they can alleviate hunger and poverty.

“Access to food is one of the first and most fundamental of all human rights,” says Guido Barilla, Chairman of the Barilla Group. “Where food is lacking, it becomes impossible to live with dignity, and the rights to a healthy life and peaceful coexistence are undermined.” The Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Planet project, an evaluation of environmentally sustainable solutions to alleviate hunger and poverty, collaborated with the BCFN to produce the report. “The study’s conclusions represent a major step toward ensuring that agriculture contributes to health, environmental sustainability, income generation, and food security,” said Nourishing the Planet Project Director Danielle Nierenberg. “The ingredients will vary by country and region, but there are some key components that will lead to healthier food systems everywhere.”