World Food Day 2026: UN chief warns 645 million people faced hunger last year

New Delhi: Around 645 million people faced hunger last year, while nearly 2.7 billion people could not afford a healthy diet, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in his message marking World Food Day 2026 on Friday.

Highlighting the growing challenges to global food security, Guterres said overlapping crises and shocks were disrupting food production and supply chains, increasing the cost of food and fertilisers, and making nutritious diets inaccessible to millions.

Despite these challenges, the UN chief stressed that the world possessed the knowledge, technology and capacity needed to feed everyone, calling for greater efforts to translate these resources into meaningful action.

This year’s World Food Day theme, “Innovate today. Nourish tomorrow,” underscores the role of innovation, data and technology in improving access to safe and nutritious food.

Guterres called for the use of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, to strengthen food systems and ensure that nutritious food reaches people everywhere. He also emphasised the importance of bringing together scientists, researchers, innovators, farmers, Indigenous Peoples and young people to develop solutions to global food insecurity.

The UN secretary-general further called for increased financial support to make nutritious food more available and affordable, particularly in developing countries.

Underscoring the importance of protecting the people and ecosystems that sustain food production, Guterres highlighted the role of rangelands, pastoralists and women farmers. The message also reflects the significance of the International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists and the International Year of the Woman Farmer in 2026.

He stressed the need to build food systems at both global and local levels that are more productive and resilient in the face of mounting pressures.

Concluding his message, Guterres called for collective action to ensure that every person, everywhere, has access to safe, nutritious and affordable food, reiterating that food is a basic human right.

World Food Day is observed annually on October 16 to raise awareness about hunger, food security and the need to ensure access to adequate nutrition for all.