World Food Day 2021: History, theme and need

Every year, October 16 is recognised as World Food Day. This day is marked to make us realise how entitled we are to fulfill our basic and most important requirements. This day is also marked to spread global awareness to fight against hunger issues. It is an initiative of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

History

World Food Day was introduced in November 1979. This initiative was raised by the former Hungarian minister of agriculture and food, Dr Pal Romany. With time, this day became a way to raise awareness about hunger, malnutrition, sustainability and food production.

Theme

This year's theme is 'Safe food now for a healthy tomorrow'. This year's celebration will be highlighting and celebrating the food heroes or individuals who have contributed towards making the world hunger-free.

Proper nutrition is required to erase malnutrition and promote healthy consumption. Lack of proper nutrition and availability of food have led to malnutrition across the world. According to UNICEF, nearly half of all deaths in children under 5 are attributable to undernutrition.

These days, the news channels are talking about India falling to 101st position in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) in 2021, from its 2020 position of 94th. It is behind its neighbours Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.

According to reports, India is one of the worst-hit countries by Covid-19 and has the highest rate of wasting food among children in India. It rose from 17.1 per cent between 1998-2002 to 17.3 per cent between 2016-2020.