We would like to celebrate the World Environment Day 2013 through the Message of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon:

“We
live in a world of plenty, where food production outstrips demand, yet 870
million people are undernourished and childhood stunting is a silent
pandemic.  To create the future we want,
we must correct this inequity.  We must
ensure access to adequate nutrition for all, double the productivity of
smallholder farmers who grow the bulk of food in the developing world, and make
food systems sustainable in the face of environmental and economic shocks.  This is the vision of my Zero Hunger
Challenge, launched last year at the Rio+20 UN
Conference on Sustainable Development.

One
way to narrow the hunger gap and improve the well-being of the most vulnerable
is to address the massive loss and waste inherent in today’s food systems.  Currently at least one third of all food
produced fails to make it from farm to table. 
This is foremost an affront to the hungry, but it also represents a
massive environmental cost in terms of energy, land and water. 

In
developing countries, pests, inadequate storage facilities and inefficient
supply chains are major contributors to food loss.  Those who grow for export are also often at
the mercy of over-stringent expectations of buyers who place a premium on
cosmetic perfection.  In developed
nations, food thrown away by households and the retail and catering industries rots in landfills, releasing significant quantities of methane,
a powerful greenhouse gas. 

Food
loss and waste is something we can all address. 
That is why the United Nations Environment Programme, the UN Food and
Agricultural Organization and public and private sector partners have launched
the “Think.Eat.Save: Reduce Your
Foodprint” campaign to raise global awareness and showcase solutions
relevant to developed and developing countries alike. 

Infrastructure
and technology can reduce the amount of food that perishes after it is
harvested and before it reaches the market. 
Developing country governments can work to improve essential
infrastructure and maximize trade opportunities with neighbours; developed nations
can support fair trade and rationalize sell-by dates and other labelling
systems; businesses can revise their criteria for rejecting produce; and consumers
can minimize waste by buying only what they need and re-using left-over food.

On
this World Environment Day, I urge all actors in the global food chain to take
responsibility for environmentally sustainable and socially equitable food
systems.  The current global population
of seven billion is expected to grow to nine billion by 2050.  But the number of hungry people need not
increase.  By reducing food waste, we can
save money and resources, minimize environmental impacts and, most importantly,
move towards a world where everyone has enough to eat.”