World Food Day 2021: Get in on the Action with CIED

Cutting food waste is a delicious way of saving money, helping to feed the world and protect the planet, Tristram Stuart

The food you eat must be the safest and most potent form of medicine. What better way to begin a blog series about World Food Day than with food? In 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations commemorated World Food Day with an action-oriented theme: “Our Actions Are Our Future.” The theme is about a healthy diet and eco-friendly consumption practices. We must eat healthy to keep ourselves fit for the future. The way we live our lives reflects in the way we live our bodies. The UN’s World Food Day celebrates with collective action across 150 countries. Many events and outreach activities have brought together government officials, businesses, NGOs, the media, and the general public. 

UN’s take on World Food Day

In recent decades, globalisation, urbanisation, and rising incomes have caused a dramatic shift in our diets and eating habits. The trend has been away from seasonal, fiber-rich, plant-based meals towards diets high in refined carbs, sugar, fat, salt, processed foods, and other animal-sourced food. The average household spends less time preparing meals at home. Whereas consumers, especially those living in urban areas, rely more on supermarkets, fast food outlets, and takeout restaurants for their meals.

In developed and low-income countries, unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles have contributed to soaring obesity rates. Sadly, our lifestyles, consumption of food, and waste of it exact a heavy toll on our planet, putting unnecessary strain on natural resources. Natural habitats are too often destroyed by food production, contributing to species extinction. Despite such inefficiency, agri-food systems today expose profound inequalities and injustices that afflict our global society. A third of the world’s population cannot afford healthy diets, and overweight and obesity continue to rise.

COVID-19 has presented new reasons for urgently switching routes. Our agri-food systems must be capable of feeding 10 billion people by 2050. According to FAO, government policies need to improve the sustainable production of affordable, nutritious foods while promoting farmer participation.

Best solutions proposed by FAO

A successful policy agenda would promote equality and learning, boost rural incomes, promote climate resilience, and offer security nets to smallholders. Furthermore, they will need to consider the multiple ties among education, health, energy, social protection, finance, and more and find solutions that fit each other. It would be ideal for backing by a significant increase in responsible investment and strong support for reducing negative environmental and social impacts across sectors, especially within the private sector, civil society, researchers, and academia.

By reducing food waste and loss, we can influence food production by emphasizing sustainably produced nutritious foods. We can also be more sustainable in our daily actions. A healthy and sustainable lifestyle also requires spreading the word and creating awareness. We cannot mitigate climate change and environmental degradation without it. The world needs an ambitious food movement. 

CIED and World Food Day

Each year on 16 October, World Food Day commemorates the founding of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The joint action of many countries makes World Food Day one of the most celebrated days on the UN calendar. By raising awareness and taking action on hunger and a healthy diet, they aim to ensure that no one goes hungry. World Food Day 2021 examines the various factors that contribute to our food and other agricultural products. Moreover, it explores how we can transform these systems as consumers, producers, and traders.

The blog series solely presents World Food Day and CIED’s contribution towards healthy and sustainable food production. The desire to follow a healthy diet is of high priority among us. However, the lack of quality information about food production makes us ambiguous.

In the very beginning, the process of food production was dim and clouded. The poorly monitored food industry witnessed fraud, illness, and death, WHO Global Estimates and Regional Comparisons of the Burden of Foodborne Disease in 2010 , WHO Food Safety 2020. Fortunately, this reality is no longer in action. The traceability introduced in food supply chains replaced this scenario, and the consumer primarily drives the traceability. CIED technologies ensure transparency, trust & fair ownership in agri-food supply chains with the help of blockchain & IoT. CIED’s traceability solution helps it sell more because it meets food safety and certification standards. In our supply chain, we guarantee 100% transparency, which contributes to increased trust among partners.

Food certification has risen because of the diversity of foods and beverages produced worldwide, especially in Western Europe. This blog series includes two case studies with EASY-CERT group and NG Sensors.

bio.inspecta and NG sensors

EASY-CERT is one of the largest food certification bodies in Europe. With CIED, bio.inspecta, an agriculture certification body under EASY-CERT group, is entering the traceability world with a tool providing features that help maintain a record of the companies’ connections, products, and transactions. Automatically the end product, which is the QR code, is generated for all products. The QR code enables the client, customer, or anyone else within the supply chain to trace the product’s entire journey and look into all the required certifications and claims related to the product.

On the other hand, NG Sensors and CIED received a grant from the European S3FOOD to work on a portable spectrometry device. NG sensors with CIED are working on a device to measure, quantify, and record contaminations and other undesirable substances in products such as milk, meat, fish and vegetables, and fruit. These tests are carried out as early as possible in the chain, on the farm, or at food processing companies. Moreover, by implementing such intelligent and secure food safety systems, public and private sector partners should ensure the quality of products on the market and react quickly to food safety concerns.

Traceability safeguards human health and food safety. Our food choices and the way we consume them directly impact our health and that of our planet. Besides, it affects agri-food systems. Together, we can create a food supply chain that is more sustainable, resilient, and inclusive and provides healthy food for everyone. This requires your involvement. We at CIED pledge to promote a healthy diet and eco-friendly consumption practices as a part of World Food Day.