James Beard Award winning chef expands his global advocacy to fight global hunger and food waste
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The United Nations World Food Programme today announced that award-winning chef and TV personality Andrew Zimmern has been named a Goodwill Ambassador, joining an esteemed group of ambassadors including Kate Hudson, Michael Kors and The Weeknd.
Following years of supporting the organization and its causes, the Emmy- and four-time James Beard Award- winning chef, writer, teacher and social justice advocate will be using his voice and platform to fight for global hunger and educate the public on food waste. WFP, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2020, is the world's largest humanitarian organization, providing food assistance to more than 100 million people in over 80 countries each year.
"I am so grateful to the World Food Programme for asking me to help in their global effort to fight hunger and food waste. We have it within our power to reverse the ravages of our own ignorance, inefficiency and selfishness," said Zimmern. "A healthy and remade food system is within our grasp and because we are enduring a global existential climate crisis we have a clock running down that is making that work even more challenging. We have the skill set needed to feed a hungry planet, yet many countries lack the will or resources to see the job through. The WFP is working diligently around the world on real, lasting solutions and I am honored to assist them."
Zimmern has dedicated his life to driving change and promoting cultural exchanges through food, and he has been a passionate advocate for food waste education. Through his travels across the globe, he has witnessed the disparity between the levels of food waste in America and the hunger faced by millions in developing countries. He has advanced public awareness on food waste by underscoring how individuals can make a difference and also advocating for the transformation of food systems.
"Andrew has made his mark not only with his culinary creativity but also with his commitment to fighting hunger and his work on reducing food waste," said U.N. World Food Programme Executive Director David Beasley. "Tackling food waste is a critical part of efforts to end global hunger and malnutrition. We're excited to welcome Andrew as a Goodwill Ambassador for our global movement working to ensure no child goes to bed hungry."
Globally, enough food is produced to feed the world's 7 billion people, and yet 811 million people still go to bed hungry each night. At the same time, one third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted throughout the supply chain, from initial agricultural production to final household consumption. Each year the amount of food that is lost or wasted amounts to a financial loss of about US$1 trillion and disposing of food waste emits more than 3 billion tons of greenhouse gases, which contributes to climate change.
Reducing food waste and food loss is central to both eradicating global hunger and tackling the climate crisis. On World Food Day 2021, Zimmern collaborated with the U.N. World Food Programme on this #StoptheWaste video to bring attention to food waste.
"Cutting global food waste in half by 2030 is a top U.N. goal. We have a responsibility - both on an individual level and collectively as a society - to reduce food waste. Chef Zimmern has spotlighted this often underrecognized issue, and we're honored that he is lending his voice and advocacy to help us end global hunger," said World Food Program USA President and CEO Barron Segar.
