Days Until World Food Day

About World Food Day

October 16 commemorates the UN Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) founding in 1945, and has been observed annually since 1981 to promote awareness of hunger and food security worldwide.

The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates several hundred million people worldwide face hunger or food insecurity in any given year, a figure central to the day's advocacy for sustainable agriculture and equitable food distribution.

The observance is marked by FAO member countries with events ranging from school programs to national policy announcements tied to that year's specific thematic focus.

The FAO's founding conference in 1945 was held in Quebec City, Canada, making it one of the earliest specialized UN agencies established even before the UN's own founding charter later that same year.

The FAO's annual State of Food Security report is frequently released around the same time as the observance, giving policymakers updated global hunger data to reference in the day's public messaging.