World
UN marks World Food Day as data shows a billion meals wasted daily and 645 million facing hunger
October 16, 2026 at 12:28 PM
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2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 2 hours
On World Food Day Friday, UN data showed over a billion meals wasted daily while hundreds of millions worldwide face hunger.
- World Food Day was observed Friday, October 16, marking the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's founding in 1945.
- UNEP reported households worldwide wasted over a billion meals daily in 2022, while 783 million people suffered hunger.
- The UN said 645 million people, 7.8 percent of the global population, faced hunger in 2025, down from 8.1 percent in 2024.
- UNEP estimated food loss and waste generate 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and cost the world economy over $1 trillion yearly.