THE United Nation Information Centre (UNIC), Lagos branch on Friday urged market men and women to help narrow the hunger gap and improve the wellbeing of the most vulnerable.

The Information Officer of UNIC, Lagos branch, Olajumoke Araba, delivering a message from the United Nations (UN) Secretary General, Ban-ki Moon to mark the World Environmental Day at Daleko Market Mushin, with the theme: Think. Eat. Save: Reduce Your Foodprint, said it was the duty of all citizens to ensure access to adequate nutrition for all.

Olajumoke said food waste “is something that needs to be addressed. Infrastructure and technology can reduce the amount of foods that perish after it is harvested and before it reaches the market.”

She urged the government and all other actors in charge of global food chain to take responsibility for environmentally suitable food systems as the current global population of seven billion is expected to grow to nine billion by 2050 but the number of hungry people need not increase.

Also speaking, the Chairman, Nigerian Environment Society (NES) Lagos State chapter, Eugene Etuah, who emphasized his concern over how many homes in Nigeria waste food, said many farm produce do not make it from the farm to the table, either due to carelessness or lack of good machineries. She also advised the public on proper ways of disposing refuse and urged them to save the environment and maintain cleanliness at all times because a dirty environment can attract pests, which will not only waste food products but can also cause harm to humans.

However, the Chairman of Mushin Local Council, Olatunde, Babatunde Adepitan, who was represented by Emmanuel Bamigboye, said the event was a clarion call for all Nigerians to address the challenge of food wastage. He said rather than eat beyond what is sincerely needed for a healthy growth, the excess should be given to those who do not have enough to eat so that they would not wake up and go to bed with empty stomach.

He appealed to all traders to exhibit a high sense of patriotism, transparency and sincerity in whatever they do. He said if a particular product is perceived no more save for human consumption, it should not be sold to the public so as not endanger their health in the process.