Moldovan cabinet backs initiative on establishment of National Nutrition Day

Chisinau, 11 September /MOLDPRES/ - The National Nutrition Day will be annually marked on 16 October, under a draft decision by the parliament, put forward as legislative initiative by a group of MPs. The draft was positively noted by the government today. The establishment of the National Nutrition Day will align Moldova to the good international practices, the note reads.  

The draft was worked out to enhance the degree of public awareness about the problems concerning the nutrition worldwide and uniting in the fight against starvation, malnutrition and poverty.    

The participants in the 20th session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), held in Rome in November 1979, ruled to mark the World Nutrition Day on 16 October. The UN General Assembly ratified this decision on 5 December 1980 and asked the governments and international, national and local organizations each year to celebrate the World Nutrition Day, marked for the first time ever in 1981. More than 150 countries, including Moldova, on 16 October mark the World Nutrition Day, declared by the United Nations General Assembly.      

About 88 million tons of food products are yearly thrown away in the world. The reasons leading to this are: quick perishing of some foodstuffs, wrong assessment of the quantity of food products for daily consumption, as well as the purchasing of excessive quantities of food.   

Thus, the government finds out that it is absolutely necessary to promote “the consumption culture” in the society, in order to diminish the food dissipation and to develop and modernize the agriculture, to ensure the well-being and improve the residents’ living standards, especially in the rural regions. “In the context of the aforementioned, we deem as essential the establishment of a holiday dedicated to nutrition, so that we enhance the degree of public awareness about the need of investments in agriculture nationally and in the world, to promote the principles for a “sound nutrition”, the note also reads.

At the same time, the cabinet of ministers proposes the revision of a parliament decision on the commemorative days, holidays and leisure days, in order to divide the national holidays of special significance and high national value, such as the Independence Day, Constitution Day, Sovereignty Day from other holidays or commemorative days, such as the Day Against Consumption and Illicit Trafficking of Drugs, Competition Day, National Apple Festival, etc.   

Data by the National Statistics Bureau shows that about 44 per cent of the residents’ spending is meant for the food consumption needs.