The United Nations World Food Program has launched the campaign #StopTheWaste. This campaign aims at raising public awareness about the huge amount of food which is unnecessarily thrown away every day.

“A third of the globally consumed food is wasted every day. While one out nine people in the world go to sleep without having a meal”. These data hit the mark – the ones of the #StopTheWaste campaign – measuring the proportions of one of the most striking paradoxes that contemporary society is experiencing on a global level. The United States World Food Program’s initiative has been launched on October 9th, 2019. #StopTheWaste intends to raise public awareness about the disproportionate quantities of food, which are unnecessarily discarded every day. Such habit, which is practised domestically, in public establishments and in large retailers, must be promptly overcome to take significant steps towards world hunger’s end.

Indeed, as already explained, not only resources are available for everyone, but - with 4 billion tons of food produced every year – also there is a surplus which, rather than being properly distributed, is thrown away causing serious economic, social and environmental damage. According to a recent study by the World Resources Institute, halving the global food waste rate would be an effective strategy to help achieve the United Nations' sustainable development goals and those related to the Paris agreements on climate change. It would also help ensure that the world's population can feed sustainably by 2050.

Leaving ethical and ecological reasons aside and reducing everything to the language of money, it is estimated that food waste is causing the global economy to lose almost 1 trillion dollars a year. Still, a lot could be made of a purpose, bringing into awareness, care and respect for raw materials, which can be used or reused for food-saving recipes. To make the message more efficient, the World Food Program has invited the best restaurateurs and chefs from all over the world to join the movement. At the same time, a 60-second animated video has been released to highlight the problem and suggest simple solutions that anyone can put into practice.

"#StopTheWaste is a campaign which has been approved by everyone, from farmers to consumers," states Corinne Woods, World Food Program's Marketing Director. "Food waste is a problem that affects the whole planet but all of us can do our part to reach a sustainable environment. A farmer who lost part of his harvest or a New York restaurateur who throws meals away: everyone can make a difference and contribute to #StoptheWaste! "

#StoptheWaste has also launched a photo contest, which shows the participants' commitment to recover food from their fridge or pantry. The campaign invites to take a selfie, while cooking or consuming this food, to share it on social media with the hashtag #StopTheWaste and to share food waste recipes.

Curious and eager to get started? Further information on this is available on the World Food Program website.