István Nagy: preventing food waste is our joint task

At a joint event of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Hungarian Food Bank Association, István Nagy highlighted the importance of World Day by the fact that, according to forecasts, the world’s population may increase by 25 percent, and the food demand of the world’s population may increase by 60 percent by the middle of the century. .

The World Day is “a call to act together so that no one is excluded from access to food in the long term,” he said. This is what this year’s motto of World Day refers to: “right to food for a better life and a better future” – quoted the minister.

The fight against hunger, sustainable agriculture and social justice are receiving more and more attention worldwide, he emphasized. The challenge is how to provide food for all people in a sustainable way in production and in a fair way in distribution.

With population growth and climate change, it is increasingly important to find innovative and sustainable solutions – he emphasized, adding: the future of the food system can only be ensured by applying sustainable methods.

He touched on the fact that, within the framework of the Hungarian EU presidency, Hungary also assumes a prominent role in shaping EU rules for reducing food waste. István Nagy reminded that the goal was to reduce food waste by 30 percent in retail, restaurants, and households together, and a 10 percent reduction goal in the processing and manufacturing sector.

Speaking about the results so far, he said that Hungary was able to reduce food waste per capita by more than a quarter with the help of the “No Leftovers” program launched in 2016 by the National Food Chain Safety Office.