President Erdoğan: We cannot talk about prosperity in a world with food waste

President Erdoğan sent a video message to the "World Food Forum Opening Ceremony" program.

Stating that they are concerned about leaving a livable world to future generations in critical areas such as climate change, environmental protection and food security, Erdoğan said, "On the one hand, we witness the struggle for survival of millions who cannot find dry bread, and on the other hand, we can neither talk about peace nor prosperity in a world where food waste increases."

President Erdoğan said, "As Turkey, based on this fact, we see access to safe food not only as a matter of supply, but as a fundamental element of our national security, and we are taking steps in this direction. We strive to establish an understanding that sees blessings as values, as our ancestors did."

'WE PAY IMPORTANCE TO FIGHTING FOOD LOSS AND WASTE'

President Erdoğan stated that, according to global reports, the largest share of food waste occurs at home, at the consumer stage, at a rate of 60 percent, and added:

"Around 1.5 billion tons of food produced every year in the world is either lost or wasted. For this reason, we attach particular importance to combating food loss and waste as much as efficiency in production. The 'Save Your Food, Take Care of Your Table' initiative, which we launched in 2020, has made great progress in a very short time. We reduced bread waste by 18 percent through our bread waste prevention campaign. Through the Zero Waste Movement, which was launched 9 years ago under the leadership of my wife, Emine Erdoğan We contribute to global awareness in this field.

We are planning steps that will turn our experiences into practices during COP31, which we will organize in Antalya on November 9-20 this year. Again, during COP31, we aim to bring food security and climate commitments together on a common ground with our turquoise connection initiative.

As a country that hosts the Central Asia Sub-Regional Office of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, we have announced our candidacy for the elections for the director general of the organization. "We are waiting for your support to Mehdi Eker, who has successfully served as the Minister of Agriculture in our country for many years."