TEHRAN – Iran celebrates World Food Week on October 12 to 18 under a national theme of “Improving the nutrition pattern to maintain healthy and promote health”, IRNA reported on Monday.

World Food Day (WFD) is celebrated every year across the world on 16th October. It’s an annual celebration in the honor of the founding date of the Food and Agriculture Organization launched by the United Nations in the year 1945. 
WFD was established by the member countries of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in November 1979. Since then, the WFD is been observed in more than 150 countries every year; raising consciousness and knowledge of the problems and reasons behind hunger and poverty.
Since 1981, World Food Day started adopting different celebration theme each year for highlighting common areas of concerns which needed attention and action. This year the theme is “Our Actions Are Our Future” which refers to healthy diets.
Hossein Azizi, an official with the Food and Drug Administration, said that specifically, on World Food Day different programs will be implemented focusing on improving nutrition patterns to promote health.
Over the one-week celebration different programs and events will be held centering on seven main themes, he added.
He further explained that the programs planned include salt and fat reduction in food and beverage, nutrition labels to promote consumer knowledge, food safety and health indicator, fighting with the smuggling of health products, product authenticity sticker, special and useful food products, and promotion of consumer awareness in the field of food.
According to FAO, a combination of unhealthy diets and sedentary lifestyles has sent obesity rates soaring, not only in developed countries, but also low-income countries, where hunger and obesity often coexist. Now over 670 million adults and 120 million girls and boys (5-19 years) are obese, and over 40 million children under 5 are overweight, while over 820 million people suffer from hunger.
An unhealthy diet is the leading risk factor for deaths from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. Linked with one fifth of deaths worldwide, unhealthy eating habits are also taking a toll on national health budgets costing up to USD 2 trillion per year.
Obesity and other forms of malnutrition affect nearly one in three people. Projections indicate that the number will be one in two by 2025. The good news is that affordable solutions exist to reduce all forms of malnutrition, but they require greater global commitment and action.
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