On the occasion of the International Day for Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, Pope Francis sent a letter to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, saying that food waste is a very serious manifestation of a society with a prevalent throwaway culture and an offense to the poor.
(Vatican News Network) People who are picking up food discarded by others in the garbage dump are watching this conference. Pope Francis stated this in a letter to Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, on September 29, the International Day for Awareness of Food Loss and Waste. The Pope called on people of good will to stop wasting food and stop treating food as just a commodity. Young people “are openly demanding that we eradicate the devastating impact of food loss and waste on the world and the planet” and we must listen.
Food waste and the tragedy of hunger have the same origin
The scourge of food loss and waste, the Pope noted, “is as alarming and harmful as the tragedy of hunger that cruelly affects humanity.” The root cause of both is the same, “the mainstream culture that distorts the value of food and treats it as just a commodity.” Furthermore, there is widespread indifference to those in need and neglect of care for creation, with endless consequences.
These attitudes can be said to be rooted in “human selfishness.” It “on the one hand causes many people to use basic supplies irresponsibly and without restraint; on the other hand, it prevents people from feeling aggrieved when they see many people lacking the necessities of life.” Selfishness has become “the current logic of profit supremacy”, constraining social relations.
The need to change course
The Pope urged everyone to completely change their paradigm and no longer look at reality through the economic lens of greed and profit. We must not ignore the spiritual basis of food: food can ensure a person’s realization of the basic right to survival. It is the basis for everyone to live a dignified life.
“Therefore, when dealing with the issue of food, it is important to respect its sanctity. The sanctity of food stems from the fundamental sacred value of every human being and is recognized by many traditions, cultures and religions.”
The logic of profit first is unfair
Pope Francis rejected the suggestion that world population growth is the cause of food shortages, explaining: “The real reason for the spread of hunger in the world is actually the lack of concrete political will to redistribute the goods of the earth.” Everyone can benefit. A gift from nature.
The spoiling of food is “an extremely serious form of waste”. It shows “a socially and humanly dismissive arrogance about everything behind food production”. “Throwing food in the trash means not appreciating the sacrifice, labor, transportation and energy costs required to put quality food on our tables.”
The Pope stressed that in order to end food loss and waste, investment and will must be combined, “from verbal declarations to far-sighted and far-reaching decision-making”. Most importantly, the idea that throwing away food is tantamount to offending the poor must be reinforced.
In this regard, the Pope cited the teaching of Saint Paul: the wealth of some should compensate for the lack of others (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:13-15).
the only human family
The Pope concluded by reminding everyone to realize that we all belong to one human family. “The one who goes to bed hungry is our brother and sister. Sharing with him what we have is both a duty of justice and an obligation of the fraternal solidarity that comes from family ties.”
The Pope expressed his prayers for FAO, the United Nations agency responsible for fighting hunger, and called on all countries to care for and support each other harmoniously and generously.
Link URL: www.vaticannews.cn
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2023-09-30 09:07:44
