President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sent a video message to the opening ceremony of World Food Forum.
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said access to safe food is a fundamental component of national security, calling for greater efforts to combat food waste and ensure a sustainable future for coming generations.
“We cannot speak of peace, tranquility or prosperity in a world where we witness millions struggling to survive without even dry bread on the one hand, while food waste continues to increase on the other,” Erdoğan said in a video message sent to the opening ceremony of the World Food Forum.
The president said Türkiye was contributing to efforts to leave a livable world for future generations, particularly in areas such as climate change, environmental protection and food security.
“Acting on this premise, we view access to safe food not merely as a matter of supply, but as a fundamental element of our national security, and we are taking steps accordingly,” he said.
“According to global reports, the largest share of food waste — 60 percent — occurs in households, that is, at the consumer stage... Around 1.5 billion tons of food produced worldwide is lost or wasted each year.”
Erdoğan also called for support for Türkiye’s candidate, Mehdi Eker, in the election for director-general of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
A veterinarian and agricultural economist by training, Eker served as Türkiye’s minister of food, agriculture and livestock from 2005 to 2015. He was elected to parliament in 2002, 2007, 2011 and 2018.
