Changing the story of food loss and waste

Join us for a screening of the documentary “Wasted: the story of food waste”, featuring Anthony Bourdain, Dan Barber, Massimo Bottura and other food celebrities, and to discuss how to change the story of food loss and waste, in this virtual celebration of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste at the United Nations in New York. This event is organized by FAO and UN Environment and the support of Andorra and San Marino. The screening is for a US-based audience only.

Register | Invitation | Concept note and agenda | Web story

Find out more about FAO celebrations for the inaugural International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.

Speakers' bios

Danielle Nierenberg, President of Food Tank and expert on sustainable agriculture and food issues
@DaniNierenberg @foodtank

Danielle Nierenberg is a world-renowned researcher, speaker, and advocate, on all issues relating to our food system and agriculture and is the recipient of the 2020 Julia Child Award. In 2013, Danielle Nierenberg co-founded Food Tank with Bernard Pollack, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Food Tank is a global convener, research organization, and non-biased creator of original research impacting the food system.

She has an M.S. in Agriculture, Food, and Environment from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and spent two years volunteering for the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. She also conducts extensive on-the-ground research, traveling to more than 70 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and documenting what’s working to help alleviate hunger and poverty while protecting the environment.

H.E. Elisenda Vives Balmaña, Permanent Representative of Andorra to the United Nations
@vives_elisenda @ANDORRA_UN

She is an Andorran diplomat who has served as the country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations since November 2015. She is also Andorra's ambassador to the United States, Canada and Mexico, and former ambassador to Morocco and Italy.

Prior to her appointment, Ms. Vives Balmaña served as President of the Andorran National Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) from 2012 to 2015 and was also Head of Protocol and Administrative Affairs of the Conseil General (National Parliament) from 2001 to 2015.  Ms. Vives Balmaña was Ambassador of the Principality of Andorra in Italy and Morocco from 2000 to 2001.  She was Director of the Principality’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 1998 to 2001, and before that a Desk Officer, responsible for the Community of Labour of the Pryenees, from 1992 to 1997.

H.E. Damiano Beleffi, Permanent Representative of San Marino to the United Nations
@SegrEsteriRsm

He is Ambassador and Permanent Representative of San Marino to the U.N., and Ambassador to the U.S.A. and Canada. He is serving as a member of the Credential Committee of the 74th session of the General Assembly of the U.N. He served as facilitator in the Second Committee for the resolution entitled “International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste”, presented by San Marino and Andorra during the 74th session of the General Assembly of the U.N.

He served as Vice President of the 73rd session of the General Assembly of the U.N. Ambassador of San Marino to Germany from 2008 to 2011, Deputy Permanent Representative of San Marino to the Council of Europe from 2001 to 2008 and Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN from 2008 to 2016.

Maximo Torero Cullen, Chief Economist of FAO
@MaximoTorero @FAO

He joined the Organization in January 2019 as Assistant Director-General for the Economic and Social Development Department. Prior to joining FAO, he was the World Bank Group Executive Director for Argentina, Bolivia, Chile Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay since November 2016 and before the Bank Dr. Torero led the Division of the Markets, Trade, and Institutions at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). His major research work lies mostly in analyzing poverty, inequality, importance of geography and assets (private or public) in explaining poverty, and in policies oriented towards poverty alleviation based on the role played by infrastructure, institutions, and on how technological breakthroughs (or discontinuities) can improve the welfare of households and small farmers. His experience encompasses Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Asia.

Satya S. Tripathi, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Head of New York Office at UN Environment
@satyatripathi @unepnyo

A development economist and lawyer with over 35 years of varied experience, Mr. Tripathi has served with the UN since 1998 in key positions in Europe, Asia and Africa in the areas of Climate Change, Human Rights, Democratic Governance and Legal Affairs.

Mr. Tripathi was instrumental in establishing the Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility (TLFF) in Indonesia in 2016 and the Sustainable India Finance Facility (SIFF) in 2017 to leverage ‘private finance for public good’ at mega-scale to achieve transformative social and environmental impact in developing countries. He previously served on the World Economic Forum’s Global Advisory Council on Forests; and in India as a member of its national civil service.

Sara Farley, Managing Director of The Rockefeller Foundation’s Food Initiative
@Innovationwoman @RockefellerFdn

Sara leads the global portfolio and spearheads integrated operations for The Rockefeller Foundation’s food team, leading such signature initiatives as the Food Systems Vision Prize. Previously, she co-founded the Global Knowledge Initiative, which she led for a decade, nurturing it from a concept to an organization designated as one of the "Top 100 Social Innovations for the next century.” Prior to founding GKI, Sara spent a decade as an innovation strategist for the World Bank. She has been commissioned by national governments, and international development organizations (AFDB, UNIDO, etc.) to lead thinking, develop and facilitate networks, and devise policies to strengthen developing countries' science and innovation capacity. Equal parts facilitator, systems thinker, collaboration-maker, and strategist, Sara graduated with honors in Science, Technology, and Society from Stanford University’s School of Engineering where she also earned a Masters degree in International Policy Studies. Following her time at Stanford, Sara did post-graduate study in Technology Policy and Management at the Universidad de Buenos Aires on a Rotary International Ambassadorial Fellowship.

Nari Kye, Director, Producer, Executive Producer
@NariKye

Nari Kye is an Emmy-winning Producer and Director. She graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and for 15 years, she's worked on critically acclaimed, groundbreaking series such as Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie, The Layover, The Getaway, and Parts Unknown. She’s also had on-camera appearances alongside Bourdain in over five episodes. She earned a Daytime Emmy for “Best Culinary Program” in 2014 for the PBS series, The Mind of a Chef. In 2017, Kye had her directorial debut with the feature-length documentary WASTED! The Story of Food Waste that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2017. In 2019, Kye launched Woori Show, a non-profit organization with a mission to spread diversity by sharing Korean language and culture through fun, engaging content for families all over the world.

Lía Celi,Sustainability Manager at Intercorp Retail
@liacc

Lia works as sustainability manager at SPSA, Peru's largest supermarket chain, as well as corporate sustainability manager at Intercorp Retail, Peru's largest retail group. Before that she founded and led Peru's food bank, where she started working with different private sector companies, she was also part of the team that designed and presented the food donations law, which was approved in June 2016. 

Radhika Khandelwal, Chef and Owner-Partner at Radish Hospitality, and member of the Chef Manifesto
@chefpandoodle @RadishAllGood

Radhika Khandelwal is a Chef and Owner-Partner at Radish Hospitality who has steadily carved a formidable and firm foundation for herself in the zero-waste and biodiversity movements through her restaurant Fig & Maple in New Delhi, India. From the early days of her training as a Chef, Radhika has championed food security through encouraging biodiversity. Her kitchen is well-known for playing host to indigenous Indian ingredients like Black chakhao rice, bok phool from West Bengal, lotus stems, and a wide variety of seasonal greens that are used in her salads.

Passionate for a secure food future and for local, sustainable and seasonal cooking, Khandelwal ensures food is prepared with a zero-waste approach by focusing on root-to-shoot cooking. As an advocate of sustainability and a member of the Chefs’ Manifesto working to fulfil the objectives of SDG2 (Zero Hunger), Khandelwal launched a 45-day long campaign titled “Be a #ZeroWasteHero”. This campaign raised awareness of issues such as hunger, biodiversity, climate change, and food waste.

Iyeshima Harris, Program Director of East New York Farms, Just Food partner
@ENYFARMS

Iyeshima Harris started her mark in the food justice movement over 10 years ago. As a Jamaican native, she struggled with the process of assimilation into a new culture. Through farming she found great comfort in her community. Throughout her involvement in the movement, Iyeshima has taught food justice, advocated for universal free school lunch, assisted in the development and sustainment of youth-led organizations, and is now the Project Director of East New York Farms!. She is dedicated to integrating youth empowerment and leadership into adult dominated sectors. With a double major of Political Science and Sociology, Iyeshima wishes to combine her passion for food justice and her knowledge of the American politics to drive the importance of food in people’s everyday life.

Angela Frigo, Secretary General, European Food Banks Federation (FEBA)
@EuroFoodBanks @AngelaFrigo

Since 2010 Angela Frigo has been working in the EU field dealing with food, agriculture, and social affairs. Angela Frigo currently works as Secretary General at European Food Banks Federation (FEBA), a European non-profit organization which works in collaboration with 24 Full Members and 5 Associate Members in European countries. Angela Frigo’s duties include managing the organization, promoting the core mission and the values of FEBA, providing a central point of contact for all stakeholders interested in FEBA, and supporting the development of opportunities for collaboration with international and European institutions and stakeholders. She represents FEBA at meetings of the FEAD (Fund for European Aid to the most Deprived) Network and EU Platform on Food Losses and Food Waste, European Commission. She previously worked as EU and International Liaison Officer at Fondazione Banco Alimentare Onlus, the Italian network of Food Banks, and had a work experience at the European Parliament.

Carla Mucavi, Director of the FAO New York Liaison Office to the United Nations
@FAONewYork

Carla Mucavi is a national of Mozambique and a career diplomat. She took office as Director of the FAO Liaison Office to the United Nations in New York in August 2015.

She oversees FAO’s contribution to discussions and decision-making carried out in the United Nations (UN) about sustainable development, resilience building and sustaining peace, as well as UN coordination, coherence and reform. Carla also represents FAO at various intergovernmental meetings, notably meetings of the UN General Assembly, and the Economic and Social Council, as well as related committees, functional commissions, and subsidiary bodies.