The world is so imbalanced. Somebody is throwing away freshly cooked food because it could not fulfil their taste expectations and somebody is dying to eat anything edible to survive for some more days.
India was ranked 97 out of 118 countries on the Global Hunger Index. According to a UN report, 194.6 million Indians are undernourished, which is highest in the world. I wonder how they manage to sleep without feeding themselves. 38% of children below 5 years of age are stunted and 15.2% of Indians are under-nourished. It’s easier to raise questions on government’s role, but can we ask some questions to ourselves? Isn’t it our moral responsibility to share our food with our brothers and sisters? Can’t we take the initiative to alleviate hunger from our country?
Some of us have got an emotional heart and already made our mind to cook food to feed the less fortunate. But wait. There is no need of extra food. The required food is already available. Let’s have a look at another big problem of India i.e. food Wastage. 40% of freshly cooked food perishes in India. India is ranked 7th in food wastage. The food which we are wasting is enough to feed 500 million people. Food wasting results into many ill effects. If it is not disposed properly, it generates harmful bacteria which challenges our hygiene. According to Food and Agriculture Organisation, 1.3 billion tonne food is getting wasted annually, which in turn, produces 3.3 billion tonne greenhouse gas emission. Both the problems are serious and need immediate attention.
HOW CAN WE DO IT?
• Locate the areas nearby where people are facing food shortage.
• Make a group in your locality and collect the extra food of the whole group. Distribute the food in that area.
• Whenever arranging a party, send the extra food to that area.
• Restaurants can open special counter where they serve food which is extra. Also, if customers want, they can buy some food and drop on that counter as goodwill.
• Open a food bank where people can donate extra food and those who need it can collect it. Spread awareness about such banks.
So it’s time to take initiative and start a war against hunger. I have already started one. What about you?