Daniel Menezes talked about Latin American scenario and actions to fight problem
From May 7 – 10, professor in the Gastronomy program, of the School of Health Sciences, Daniel Menezes attended the WADEM Congress on Disaster and Emergency Medicine, in Brisbane, Australia. The 21st congress was organized by the World Association for Disasters and Emergency Medicine (WADEM) in partnership with the Queensland University of Technology. The program explored innovation and the best global practices in health, disaster management and humanitarian aid.
At the event, Menezes presented a paper on hunger in Latin America and how it connected with gastronomy. In Brazil, in 2017, more than 5.2 million people spent a day or more without eating anything. This number represents 2.5% of the population. At the global level, some estimates show that hunger affects 821 million people, meaning one out of nine individuals on the planet.
In his view, one of the means to mitigate hunger is to avoid food waste. A third of all the food that is produced in the world is wasted in a year. This could feed as much as 25% of the world population.
“Gastronomes and nutritionists as well as other food sciences professionals have a very important role to play in bringing down these numbers. It is of utmost importance for gastronomy professionals to understand the macroenvironment, with emphasis on economic and cultural aspects of the setting where you want to work and invest in”, he adds.
The event attempted to discuss vulnerability in different parts of the world. “It is important that gastronomy professionals be aware of and bear in mind that food is not a luxury, but a physiological need of all human beings”, Menezes adds.
On the importance of joining the event, he reinforces that this international-level congress will advance the dissemination of knowledge among professionals from all over the world, by adding a vision of world and the sharing of enriching learning experiences.
