Yayla Agro Issues Statement for World Food Day on 16 October

Yayla Agro Issues Statement for 16 October World Food Day 16 October marks the founding date of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), observed annually as World Food Day. This year's 76th World Food Day will be celebrated under the theme "Our actions are our future - Better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life." Yayla Agro Board Chairman Hasan Gümüş issued a statement on the occasion of 16 October World Food Day, conveying the message "We work for sustainable food from farm to table." In his statement, Gümüş emphasized that the existence of a sustainable and inclusive food system is crucial for our future in terms of raising healthy generations. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) organizes events around a designated theme each year on 16 October World Food Day, placing topics related to food production, consumption and safety on the agenda. The organization particularly aims to draw attention to hunger, malnutrition and food waste, which are significant global problems. With the Covid-19 pandemic, the destructive effects of the pandemic have been added to the negative consequences of climate change in ensuring food security. Over 2 billion people worldwide lack regular access to reliable, nutritious and adequate food. 3 billion people cannot afford healthy nutrition economically. Obesity is also increasing globally. While millions of people struggle with hunger due to lack of food access, on the other hand, tonnes of potentially edible food are being wasted. Unconsumed food accounts for 10 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

"Of Great Importance for the Future of Our World"

Yayla Agro Board Chairman Hasan Gümüş, in his statement on the occasion of 16 October World Food Day, drew attention with innovative products introduced to the food and pulses sector and pointed out that climate change's pressure on food security increases each passing year. Gümüş emphasized that sustainable food and nutrition are gaining increasingly greater importance in this direction. Gümüş stated: "As Yayla Agro, we operate in many countries around the world as well as in Turkey and have the opportunity to closely observe the changes taking place. Extreme weather events, floods and droughts caused by climate change are negatively affecting food production worldwide. In addition to climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic, which fundamentally transformed our lives over the past two years, has also shaken things up in the food sector. We were reminded once again of how important food and sustainability are. On the other hand, rises in energy, raw material, commodity and logistics prices and supply difficulties are pushing up production costs. Another change brought about by the pandemic was seen in consumers' eating habits and preferences. Healthy, balanced and sustainable nutrition is gaining importance worldwide. From farm to table, the existence of a sustainable and inclusive food system is of great importance for raising healthy generations and the future of our world. In 2050, the world will need to feed 10 billion people with increasingly diminishing resources. We can overcome the problems we face through an approach that is based on efficiency and environmentally friendly methods across all links of the food chain from producer to consumer, reduces waste and aims for a better life. The theme of the 2021 World Food Day, "Better production, better nutrition, better environment and a better life" tells us much in this sense."

"We Contribute to Sustainable Nutrition"

Emphasizing the role of legumes as a healthy protein source in sustainable nutrition, Agro Board Chairman Hasan Gümüş stated: "Legumes, which are indispensable elements of balanced nutrition, facilitate people's access to healthy and safe food as valuable plant-based protein sources. Their environmental impacts are far lower compared to animal-based foods. Animal-based nutrition increases greenhouse gas emissions 20 times more than plant-based nutrition while consuming more water resources. 1 kilogram of plant-based protein requires 50 litres of water, while 1 kilogram of animal-based protein requires 5,500 litres of water. Taking into account the negative consequences of climate change, we need to reconsider our dietary choices. What we eat and how we nourish ourselves deeply affects our lives. As Yayla Agro, we act with responsibility and awareness of the role we play in the food chain in all our production processes and contribute to sustainable nutrition in line with our mission of raising healthier generations." He concluded with these remarks.