Hunger kills half of children under five worldwide, Emine Erdoğan says
Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan warned that nearly half of all child deaths under age five are caused by hunger. Marking International Zero Waste Day, she stressed that recovering just one-quarter of global food waste could end world hunger, calling for urgent behavioral change and collective action.
Turkish First Lady Emine Erdoğan delivered a powerful call to action on the fourth anniversary of International Zero Waste Day, highlighting the devastating link between food waste and child mortality. In a video message released Monday, she stated that nearly half of all deaths among children under five worldwide are attributable to hunger—a tragedy that could be dramatically reduced through simple measures to prevent food loss.
A solvable crisis
“If we could recover just a quarter of the food wasted globally, we could end hunger in the world,” Erdoğan said, noting that 673 million people currently face hunger while more than 2 billion lack access to adequate nutrition. She pointed out that approximately 2.3 billion tons of food—equivalent to 5.8 trillion meals—are lost or wasted annually. This year’s Zero Waste Day theme is “food waste,” chosen to draw attention to the chain reaction behind every discarded meal.
Environmental and moral urgency
The first lady emphasized that food loss and waste account for 8 to 10 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, adding pressure to the climate and environment. Citing the Food Waste Index Report, she noted that 60 percent of food waste occurs at the household level, meaning individual behavioral shifts can yield significant results. “Even by preventing a single fruit from spoiling, we can save the water, energy, and labor used to produce it,” she said, urging people to transform kitchens into places of resource stewardship rather than waste.
Advertisement
Türkiye’s pioneering role
Reflecting on the Zero Waste Project launched in Türkiye in 2017 under her leadership, Erdoğan stated that experience has shown behavioral transformation to be one of the most effective environmental and climate policies. The initiative, which earned UN recognition with the designation of March 30 as International Zero Waste Day in 2022, continues to inspire global action. “We want to recognize the chain reaction behind every piece of food thrown away and collectively say ‘stop’ to this trend,” she said, calling for a world where no child goes hungry.
Comments you share on our site are a valuable resource for other users. Please be respectful of different opinions and other users. Avoid using rude, aggressive, derogatory, or discriminatory language.