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FAISALABAD, Sep 29 (APP):University of Agriculture Faisalabad (UAF) on Monday staged an awareness walk to mark ‘the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss & Waste’ for highlighting the need of measures to reduce food loss and waste.
Food Processing Chair, Pak-Korea Nutrition Center (PKNC) and Department of Plant
Breeding and Genetics jointly organized the walk, in which a large number of university
students and faculty members participated.
In his message, UAF Vice Chancellor Dr Zulfiqar Ali said the country wastes 26 percent
of its food production a year around 19.6 million tonnes, which valued $4 billion.
He said the country food waste crisis was a multifaceted problem that required
a comprehensive and coordinated response from all sectors of society.
“We must take decisive action to create awareness, address the root causes
and implement sustainable solutions”, he added.
Dean Faculty of Agriculture Dr Ghulam Murtaza said the United Nations established
this day in 2019 to raise global awareness about the issue of food loss and waste,
promote collective action, and encourage sustainable food systems by reducing losses,
improving food security, and mitigating environmental impacts.
Dean Faculty of Food Sciences Dr Imran Pasha added food waste was becoming
a bigger challenge across the globe. It primarily stems from behavioral issues among
end consumers. They were taking measures to create awareness and other initiatives,
he added.
Director General National Institute of Food Sciences and Technology Dr Muhammad Issa
Khan said that a significant amount of food was lost while millions still face hunger and
it was collected responsibility to address the issue.
Chairman Plant Breeding and Genetics Dr Azeem Iqbal Khan said that reducing food losses
and waste was essential in a world where hunger had been steadily rising since 2014 while
tons of edible food were lost or wasted every single day.
Chair Food Procession Dr Kashif Iqbal Khan said plan your meals and shopping to avoid
buying more than you need. He said that millions of people who face hunger could be fed
with the amount of food that was lost.
Dr Raheela Rehman said that Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) was not just about
policies or numbers but it was about changing mindsets and behaviors and they had selected
a village to create awareness to save food and end wastage.