Carrying the Spirit of World Food Day throughout the Year

Here at the Social Gastronomy Movement, we like to say that “every day is World Food Day.” Even so, October 16, every year, brings an energy and a sense of fellowship across the movement that feels different.

World Food Day is one of the most celebrated days of all of those marked on the United Nation’s Annual Calendar. It calls the attention of people in all corners of the world to ensure that we have a future where no one goes hungry, where no one is left without access to food that they need to be healthy and strong. It calls us to transform food systems so that we are leaving no one behind.

On this day, every year, we bear witness to collective action, conversations, and commemorations happening all over the world. With calls to action towards food systems transformation, SDG:2 Zero Hunger, and climate action, the narrative is meant to engage us all in being part of the change. 

So, this is why at the Social Gastronomy Movement, we like to say that “every day should be World Food Day.” 

Change starts with food. Food is not only a human right, but it is the essence of life itself.  Food doesn’t just nourish our bodies; it unites us in spirit, excites us, soothes us, it protects us.  

Despite the fact that the Right to Food seems simple to understand, we continue to fall behind as a global society. Over 828 million people experienced hunger in 2021. While we produce enough food to feed all people, we let 1/3 of the food produced to go to waste. Industrial food systems continue to disenfranchise smallholder and indigenous farmers, the same families that are responsible for feeding 70% of the world. As stated in a recent piece from A Growing Culture, which expresses our current reality in a sobering context , “Our problem is not a lack of food - our problem is that the industrial food system denies access to those who are not able to afford it.”

The time to build food systems that are based on compassion, care, equity, and love is now.

While every day, we work to plant seeds for food systems transformation, our actions, like many other organizations working in this space, are always turned up a notch during September, Hunger Action Month, until today, October 16, when we come together to celebrate and shout for positive change. The spirit and momentum that exist this time of year must continue throughout the year.

Organizations and individuals worldwide have been preparing, asking for support, and putting endless efforts into ensuring that those in their communities have access to good food and dignified livelihoods. For some, World Food Day is the perfect opportunity to raise awareness of their day-to-day work on the ground. For others, World Food Day serves as an entry point into beginning a journey as active citizens in food systems transformation. For all of us, this day allows us to reflect, connect, and enter deeper collaborations to co-create a future where we truly leave no one behind.  

On of our efforts as a movement to create fertile ground for change is the Universal Plate Campaign. In this collective action, which this year lasted six weeks, we unite under a shared mission- to share meals in community and raise awareness around the urgency to shift the status quo from one of hunger and inequality to one of nourishment, solidarity, and inclusion.

This collective action of the #UniversalPlate kicked off on September 1 and has been present in more than 50 countries. Over 3 million nutritionally balanced, locally sourced, and delicious meals have already been shared, and we’re still counting. The #UniversalPlate has made its way into the Ivory Tower of Academia to solidarity kitchens and restaurants in communities far and wide. 

In Thailand, the #UniversalPlate arrives via boat; in Rwanda, it is accompanied by donated cows that allow for sustainable dairy sources and support for organic farmers. The #UniversalPlte unites faith groups, youth, and food banks in the USA. In Medellin, local partnerships are strengthened as people from across sectors join in the act of cooking and sharing meals with love. 

In the Philippines, actions to empower youth as food systems changemakers through service intertwine with the #UniversalPlate Campaign. In Turkey, in partnership with Chef Ebru and Istanbul Lezzard Festival, members unite in person for the first time in a long time. Co-founder Nicola Gryczka, Rafael Rincon, Clare Effiong, Maya Terro, and Patrick Honauer joined the local team (and even the Mayor of Istanbul!) for the experience of cooking together and sharing meals with those in need. A task that is evermore important in the face of a recent national tragedy. 

The number and depth of stories emerging from this year’s #UniversalPlate have been inspiring. We will continue to share them with you and the world on Social Media and additional channels moving forward. World Food Day marks the closing of our SGM Summit Activities this year. That means it’s time to raise a toast to all of the people in this Movement who have taken food solidarity action through the #UniversalPlate Campaign. We also give special thanks to our Summit Partners, Griffith Foods, World Food Forum, and Global Citizen. Also, thank you to every person who has convened around Universal Tables to engage in deep listening, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and dialogue to identify possibilities in the face of crisis. 

The world needs all of the connections, celebrations, multistakeholder actions, and energy defined by love, care, and sharing that we can get. Our promise to you, dear friends and readers, is that we will continue to spread this spirit, this movement, and the essence of #WorldFoodDay and the #UniversalPlate every chance we get, 365 days a year. 

Let us transform food systems for the better, together.