image: Thomas Gamstaetter @thomasgamstaetter/Unsplash
World Food Day is a time to celebrate food in all its diversity and goodness. It is also a day to remember that many people, in our cities and in our world, are food-deprived, and even suffer hunger and malnutrition. How can this be happening in this beautiful world which produces enough food for all? Can our systems of food delivery be lacking? Can the will to feed all Earth’s peoples be amiss? How do we approach this issue when it is so complex and fraught with challenges?
Over 820 million people worldwide suffer from hunger and 2 billion people face food insecurity, yet 1/3 of food is wasted. This is a moral, environmental, and economic disaster. Many people contribute to their local food bank or soup kitchen. Community gardens also help to address this problem at the local level; but as individuals and as a society, is it past time to examine our practices around sustainability, food systems and delivery, and consumption?
World Food Day is a call to action; since 1979, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN has highlighted the issue. Governments, businesses, and individuals must work together to feed the hungry and create a world where equality and dignity are respected and promoted. What is my response as I tuck into another wonderful nutritious and balanced meal? We do not need guilt; we need action.
Questions to ponder:
What is my protein footprint?
Am I eating “local,” observing the 100-mile diet, as much as possible?
-Sister Helen Russell, CSJ