Celebrating the epic finale of our 50 Days to Fight Food Waste challenge

What a ride it has been! Our 50 Days to Fight Food Waste challenge was a major success, and we are thrilled to announce that we have successfully reached 100,408,610 rice grains – a feat that could not have happened without you!

For those who did not know, back in early September, we kicked off this challenge in collaboration with WFP Freerice, marking the launch of the learning stage of our Youth Towards Zero Food Waste Campaign. Our mission was to raise awareness about the issue of food waste and its impacts on our environment, while making a stand against global hunger. The result, in collaboration with the Food Systems and Food Safety Division (FAO ESF), was to create a new quiz with new questions on ‘Food Waste’ category for the World Food Programme’s Freerice platform, with the new ‘Learn more’ feature.

We started with a target of raising 25 million rice grains, but our community’s response exceeded our expectations. We reached our goal in just two short weeks! We doubled the target to 50 million grains but reached it on day 29 of our challenge. This is a noteworthy and timely accomplishment as we achieved our second target on the International Day of Awareness for Food Loss and Waste. Noticing the enthusiasm of everyone engaged in this mission, we dared to set the ambitious goal of raising a staggering 100 million grains of rice.

During the WFF flagship event, the game reached new heights of engagement. Participants who joined us in person at FAO HQ were buzzing with excitement as they dove into the challenge, becoming an integral part of this food waste-fighting movement. The contribution and commitment of all of our constituents to fighting food waste has been nothing short of inspiring, and we are thankful for all the support. As the World Food Forum flagship event concluded, we raised 100,408,610 rice grains together, achieving our ambitious goal, and providing meals to tens of thousands of those in need.

Yet the journey does not end here! We invite you to continue the fight with us through our Youth Towards Zero Food Waste campaign. Our goal is to empower the younger generation to learn and take action, monitor progress and scale up their efforts in the fight against food waste.

Continue to follow the WFF’s updates for the launch of resources that will show Youth how to start composting, establish a food pantry and become an advocate for raising awareness about the pressing issue of food waste.

Join us in making a lasting impact on the world as we lead the fight against food waste. Let’s stand together as #YouthAgainstFoodWaste and be the catalysts for #Youth4Change. Now that the flagship week has concluded, we are diligently working to expedite the publication process, and scale up action. Stay tuned!