World Food Day 2018 Message by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue

On October 16, the global community will celebrate World Food Day to commemorate the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). For more than 70 years, FAO has played a critical role in combatting global hunger as a preeminent knowledge organization, technical assistance provider, and global facilitator. On World Food Day, countries across the globe, including the United States, will host events and activities to raise awareness of those suffering from hunger and malnutrition and highlight ways to address these acute challenges.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is proud to support FAO’s work in strengthening global food security in several ways, including our strong representation through Tommie Williams, Minister-Counselor for Agriculture, U.S. Mission to the UN Agencies for Food and Agriculture in Rome. We cooperate on research, as well as on programs focused on global crop forecasting, food safety, disaster assistance, economic sustainability of agriculture and building resilient communities. We share common goals to reduce hunger by decreasing food waste and increasing production efficiency to help feed a growing global population.

We also share policy expertise. USDA houses the U.S. Codex Office, which coordinates U.S. participation in the Codex Alimentarius Commission, the UN body that sets international food standards aimed at protecting consumer health and ensuring fair trade practices. The science-based guidelines and standards set by Codex, if taken seriously, should enhance the quality and safety of our food systems and facilitate international trade, which boosts global food security by strengthening livelihoods and connecting consumers to safe food.

As we look to our future, we must also reflect back on our past, like the work of the great Dr. Norman Borlaug, credited with saving over one billion lives through genetic and technological research that increased our food supply. If Borlaug was that successful in the 1950’s, imagine what should be accomplished by working together today. The U.S. and our allies are leading the way in investment in biotechnology and precision agriculture to grow our food supply in a way that would make Dr. Borlaug proud.

Increased global food security is a mutual interest. USDA continues to partner with FAO to help meet the needs of the global population today, the 2030 population, and beyond. However, we will not be able to accomplish the lofty goal of feeding a swelling global population without increased global acceptance of the safe, science-based, proven technologies the U.S. and others have worked hard to develop to solve this age-old problem. I congratulate FAO on its anniversary and its work to strengthen global food security and combat poverty. Together, we can feed the world.

Sonny Perdue, 31st United States Secretary of Agriculture