Ankara, Turkey – FAO and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey launched a joint national media campaign “Save Your Food” to raise public awareness about the detrimental impacts of food loss and waste, and to stimulate action along the food supply chain.

Curbing food loss and waste means revising institutional and legal frameworks, improving methods of food production, conservation and distribution, and changing resource-intensive consumption patterns.

To this end, the “Save Your Food” campaign in Turkey plans to widen consumer knowledge of the benefits of reducing food waste and encourage the development of waste prevention behaviours – so as to achieve profound and lasting changes in the way that people consume food. “Save Your Food” has also invited public and private partners to support the activities organized under the campaign. The engagement of other stakeholders, including the country’s largest producers and retailers, will be essential for the creation of an environment conducive for such behavioural change.

Viorel Gutu, Subregional Coordinator for Central Asia and FAO Representative in Turkey, explained further at the opening of the live-streamed launch: “International attention on food loss and waste is firmly reflected in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. And while the challenges ahead remain significant, many countries are already taking action to reduce food loss and waste. We recognize the strong leadership of Turkey in this regard and in particular the efforts that have been made by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in addressing food loss and waste. We are also pleased to continue our cooperation in the context of the Save Your Food campaign, as this ambitious goal requires concerted action.”

The campaign forms part of the project “Reduction of Food Loss and Waste in the Countries of Central Asia”, which is funded by Turkey through the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture. The project aims to assist recipient countries (Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan) in developing national strategies and action plans for reducing food loss and waste.

“As we strive to make progress towards reducing food loss and waste, we can only be truly effective if our efforts are well-coordinated and knowledge-based”, explained Bekir Pakdemirli, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry, and co-chair of the event. “It is therefore of utmost importance that all actors work together to raise awareness about the problem and bring about a culture of sustainable production and consumption.” 

Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu, President of Turkey’s Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges, conveyed the strong support of his members for the Save Your Food campaign and their willingness to contribute to the national fight against food loss and waste.

Dilara Koçak, a renowned nutritionist and an active campaign supporter, participated in the launch as a moderator.

About the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP-II)

The overarching objective of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programme is to provide support to ensuring food security and rural poverty reduction in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. Established in 2007, the programme benefits from trust fund contributions totalling USD 20 million to date, financed by the Government of Turkey, and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.