World Food Day should be every day

World Food Day is celebrated every year on October 16 in honor of the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations. This year’s theme, “Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together. Our Actions are our Future” calls for global solidarity in doing our part to make food sustainable and accessible for all.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made us take a step back and develop a deeper appreciation for one of our most basic needs: food. Keeping our bodies and minds healthy and strong through accessible, safe, and nutritious food is of utmost importance during the pandemic. Food is essential for our overall well-being and survival.

Who is a food hero and why is it important?

Everyone can be a food hero. That includes you, me, and everyone in the community. Whether we grow, cook, sell, deliver, or eat food, we all have a role to play to keep nutritious food safe and accessible for all. A food hero is also a sustainable diner. It is important to do our part in keeping our food systems sustainable, especially amidst adversity such as pandemics — it is time to build back better and be a food hero!

We can all be food heroes! Here’s how.

Do these simple steps to be a food hero and make it a way of life.

1. Buy locally grown and seasonal crops

Locally grown crops ensure household food security, sustain dietary diversity, conserve the environment, and support our local farmers. It’s not only better for the environment because it needs less resources, but it also uplifts our farmers and provides them with a thriving livelihood. Read the Be a Sustainable Diner at Home article to learn more.

2. Eat nutritious and diverse food

Choosing a variety of nutritious whole food is key to a balanced diet, overall well-being, and can increase the demand for different crops to be produced. Local crop diversity ensures food security because they are easy to grow, well adapted to our climate, and provides vitamins and minerals. Read the Why Local Crop Diversity Matters article to learn more.

3. Grow your food

Food grown through home gardening is a sustainable food source, and will help you become more food independent. Plant what you love to eat! The process of home gardening ensures that fresher and higher quality crops with better nutritional values, and with zero to minimal artificial chemicals, are being harvested and consumed by the household. Read this article to learn more.

4. Avoid leftovers and reduce food waste

The simple act of finishing our food already makes us a food hero! Wasting food means wasting water, land, and the energy and efforts of our farmers. It also means more greenhouse gas emissions, and less available food for those who need it. Make the most out of your food and keep it away from landfills! Let’s save our food to save our planet. Do the 10 Tips to Reduce Food Waste at Home— read the article to learn more.

5. Keep your food safe

Eating a variety of food provides important health benefits but we should properly select and prepare them to ensure food safety. Make sure that fresh food like fruits and vegetables are washed properly before consumption. For meat, cook them thoroughly to ensure your family's safety. Read the 5 Steps to Keep Our Food Safe article to learn more.

6. Encourage others to be a food hero

Join WWF-Philippines’ #IAmAFoodHero contest and win awesome prizes! Everyone is invited to share how they practice being a food hero. Take a photo and/or video and post it on your social media, on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtags #IAmAFoodHero and #TheSustainableDiner and caption your post with your answer to this question: “What can I do to be a Food Hero?”. The contest runs until October 30, 2020!