The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) designated October 16th World Food Day in 1979. World Food Day promotes global awareness of those who suffer from hunger as well as the need to ensure healthy diets for all, and provides suggestions for how to alleviate those problems. The Hunter College NYC Food Policy Center has compiled a list of ways to help you promote good food and support the fight to end global hunger.
Attend the Official World Food Online Ceremony
The official World Food Day ceremony will take place on Friday, October 16th, through the virtual Zoom conferencing platform at 8AM ET. The Ceremony will open with a screening of the official World Food Day promotional video celebrating the food heroes who produce, plant, harvest, fish or transport our food, no matter the circumstances, thus helping to grow, nourish and sustain our world. Register Here or watch the webcast here.
Read (or Re-read) our Latest Report on COVID-19 and NYC’s Food System
The Center, in collaboration with the CUNY Urban Food Policy Institute and the Laurie M. Tisch Center for Food, Education & Policy joined forces to monitor and assess New York City’s food system response to COVID-19. The first report of NY Food 20/20, examines the economic consequences of COVID-19 on New York City’s food system as well as the health and wellbeing of New Yorkers during the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic. The report provides specific recommendations for ways to build back New York Cty’s food system.
Join Food Tank for a Series of Deep Dish Dialogues as part of the Smithsonian Food History Weekend
In honor of World Food Day, Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank join in a conversation with Chef Jose Andres of the World Central Kitchen, Laura Reily of the Washington Post, Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm and Vimlendra Sharan of the FAO in North America about rebuilding the food system. Register here.
Plan a #WorldFoodDay Event
Plan a World Food Day event online or respecting physical distancing, to help spread the word. FAO provides a range of promotional materials in several languages – a poster, a brochure, an event banner, web or social media graphics or an Activity book for kids. Once you’ve put together an event, add it to the inventory of events happening around the world here.
Join the #WorldFoodDay Conversation Online
You can join the #WorldFoodDay conversation on social media by sharing the FAO’s free material on digital channels and by posting actions online. This is also a time to express your appreciation to #FoodHeroes – those who, throughout the crisis, have made sure that food makes its way from the farm to your table.
Watch and Share the #WorldFoodDay Promo Video — or Catch it on Display in Times Square
If you happen to be in the area, the World Food Day 2020 video promo spot will be aired throughout the day on the LG screen in Times Square, New York City (please make sure to follow the CDC’s COVID-19 social distancing guidelines). Not in NYC? You can catch the video here.
Spend Time Researching Hot Topic Food Issues by Watching Webinars, Listening to Podcasts, or Picking up a New Nook
From time to time, the Center compiles a list of recently published books in the food policy space. These are great opportunities to educate yourself on a particular food policy issue such as food insecurity, food sovereignty, food waste, or racial injustice in the food system. We’ve done the same for podcasts and webinars, with a particular focus on COVID-19. These episodes dig into the ways COVID-19 is impacting our food system and tackle issues concerning the future of restaurants, the morality of food app delivery fees, pandemic gardens, survival of farmworkers and more.
