Across the globe, 8.9% of the population suffers from hunger and 2 billion people do not have regular access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. Innovation within food systems needs to take place in order to combat hunger locally and globally.
With some of the largest corporate headquarters in the food industry, an extensive community of food scientists and a strong agricultural industry, food/ag innovation is built into Minnesota’s DNA. Grow North (soon to be Naturally Minnesota) is the innovation ecosystem of much of this work.
This month, they held their annual event, Food/Ag Ideas Week, featuring speakers, tours, demos and a showcase of local products. Sessions included topics such as; Food System Resiliency in the Urban Environment, The Rise of Upcycled Products and Sustainable and Responsible Food Chains. It is conversations like these that will help us reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030.
Executive Director, Alison Hohn, shared more about the event in this Ag Week Article.
“There’s a lot of mega climate change events happening with hurricanes, drought and fires,” she said. “And then everything with the geopolitical conflict in Ukraine impacting supply chains and growing production there.”
She said they also considered socioeconomic disparities in the state, and people who are in need of healthy food options.
“We really wanted to talk about topics that impacted all of that, and the overarching interconnectedness of the global food supply,” she said.
Whether you are part of the food and agriculture industry or not, we can all work towards hunger solutions together. October 12 is National Farmers Day – a time to honor the hard working farmers who dedicate their lives to provide fresh, nutritious food. By supporting local farmers and markets, we can help contribute to a more sustainable food system.
Food waste occurs at every stage of the production and distribution process, however nearly half of that occurs at the consumer level. Diverting just 15% of that waste would be enough to cut the number of food insecure Americans in half.
Prevent waste by asking yourself these questions;
11/16, 2-8pm Sustainable Event & Wedding Showcase
Proceeds benefit Second Harvest Heartland, a nonprofit dedicated to reducing food waste and hunger.
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