U.S. Senator John Boozman Joins Colleagues to Introduce Bipartisan Resolution Celebrating World Food Day

U.S. Senator John Boozman (R-AR)—a senior member of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee and Co-Chair of the Senate Hunger Caucus—joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues to introduce a resolution designating October 16 as “World Food Day.”

“World Food Day serves as both a call to action and an opportunity to recognize the many who have stepped up and been a champion on this issue on a global scale and in our individual communities,” Boozman said. “While considerable progress has been made to alleviate global hunger, much work remains to be done both here at home and abroad. American leadership is vital to finding solutions to help those struggling with food insecurity, and I offer my gratitude to all who have committed to improving nutrition and agriculture worldwide. As co-chair of the Senate Hunger Caucus, I am proud to lend my support to this resolution and pledge to continue working with my colleagues to build on American efforts to stamp out world hunger.”

Each year, the United States joins 130 other countries and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in celebrating World Food Day to promote global awareness and action for all who suffer from malnutrition, chronic hunger and obesity. This year’s theme is “Healthy Diets for a #ZeroHunger World.”

In recent decades, eating habits and diets have changed dramatically due to globalized economies, urbanization and rising incomes around the world. While the quality of food available to some has improved, the quantity is still lacking for over 820 million people who suffer from hunger. At the same time, over 670 million adults and 120 million girls and boys (5-19 years) are obese, and over 40 million children under 5 are overweight. According to data released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, 16 percent of children in Arkansas are obese.

The resolution, authored by Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) and cosponsored by Sens. Boozman, Jerry Moran (R-KS) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), also commemorates the founding of FAO on this date in 1945.

“World Food Day is an important reminder of why the United States should sustain our investments in food security both at home and abroad. I’m commemorating World Food Day this year by celebrating the millions of people around the world involved in getting food from our farms to our tables,” Coons said. “Food security is not just a humanitarian issue. Global food security is national security, as growing concentrations of poverty and hunger leave communities around the world vulnerable to instability, violence, and extremism. I’m pleased to work with my colleagues to both celebrate World Food Day and recognize the work that still needs to be done to ensure that all people have access to quality food.”

To learn more about what you can do to promote healthy diets for a zero-hunger world and celebrate World Food Day, please visit http://www.fao.org/world-food-day.