Quite a lot of us are foodie people with various tastes but the “World Food Day”, which was recently observed, should remind us that we have a responsibility not to waste food.

There is certainly a lot to be considered when it comes to food, the need for food, and the quality of food. When I cite the quality of food, I am referring to healthy food as we often consume food that is stuffed with oils which leads to unhealthy eating.

That aside, whilst on the one hand we see millions living in underdeveloped nations going hungry and thousands dying every year due to lack of food, on the other hand we see so many people wasting food.  So, the message of the day should be that everyone should think twice of those who are in poverty and give a helping hand because every human being living on this planet deserves the right to food.

Wasting food is not good for anyone in anyway — to the economy, to the environment or to our own conscience. So, if things are going wrong, we have to put them on the right track. Due to the plenty we have, thanks to our industrial growth, food is being floundered as a sign of our wealth, never mind that it is being wasted in the frenzied display of prosperity.  

Whenever we arrange any gathering, occasion, get together, or function it’s always best that we give a call to a charitable organization and make arrangements to donate the surplus food. While most kids these days are picky with their food, parents don’t seem to care when their kids throw away most of their food or leave healthy foods on their plates and eat junk food instead.

The basic concept of World Food Day is to fight against hunger and poverty and it’s the duty of every individual to help in that endeavour. We are not farmers but we can contribute by increasing awareness, decreasing wastage, and judicial utilization of food.

Mathew Litty — Dubai