PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Universal Plate: A global campaign to serve meals to people in need and advocate for the right to food for all.

Led by social entrepreneurs, chefs, and activists using food to co-create social change and act in solidarity against rising hunger, the campaign aims to mobilize people in over 70 countries to cook and serve local, nutritionally balanced meals to those who are in need between October 12th to 19th, 2023.

ZURICH, Switzerland, October 4, 2023 - The Social Gastronomy Movement (SGM) and FAO World Food Forum ( WFF) announce their collaboration on the SGM Universal Plate campaign.

On October 12th, 2023, SGM’s flagship Universal Plate Campaign will kick off with the mission of raising awareness of growing food insecurity, affecting an estimated 735 million people worldwide, and call to attention the urgent need for food systems transformation in the face of the convergence of the ‘4Cs’: Covid, conflict, climate emergency, and rising costs around the world. The campaign leads up to the WFF annual flagship event, a dynamic global platform that transcends boundaries, generations, and sectors to transform the future of our agrifood systems from October 16th to 20th.

In 2022, the #UniversalPlate campaign witnessed the sharing of more than 71 million meals through collective efforts over a six-week period, spanning from Hunger Action Month (September) to World Food Day (October 16). During this time, a remarkable 20 million kilograms of food were rescued from being discarded or wasted while preparing and distributing these meals.

This year’s #UniversalPlate campaign, which will take place between October 12th and 19th, will unite individuals, social organizations, restaurants, universities, and anyone who wishes to volunteer, cook, and serve those in need in their local communities worldwide. Meals served through the campaign would be:

1) Made with locally-sourced ingredients

2)Nutritionally balanced

3) Free of charge. SGM encourages participants to share their activities on social media with the hashtag #UniversalPlate.

Some countries with confirmed actions include Argentina, Bali, Brazil, Colombia, India, Italy, Ghana, Kenya, Lebanon, the Philippines, Rwanda, South Africa, the USA, Zimbabwe, and Zambia.

As part of the #UniversalPlate campaign this year, a policy angle has been included: The Right to Food manifesto. The four-page manifesto was drawn up to put forward some concrete pathways from farm to plate and requests for the implementation process. Universal Plate participants are encouraged to adjust the manifesto to their realities and present it to their local authorities.

In addition to Universal Plate action, this campaign is focused on knowledge and awareness around themes such as food insecurity and hunger, youth and future, and food waste and loss.

All interested participants are encouraged to contact contact@socialgastronomy.org or fill out the following interest form: https://forms.gle/fHcQnb6wm833mYAQ7.

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ABOUT SGM

The Social Gastronomy Movement is an interconnected global network of local communities that use the power of food to co-create social change. Since its founding in 2018, SGM has engaged more than 300 chefs, farmers, activists, educators, local communities, and industry leaders in 63 countries across five continents. The collective work of the Movement has been featured in the World Economic Forum, Forbes, Ted, and World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

For more information and media support, please contact:

Press Contact

Nsungwe Mulendema

communications@socialgastronomy.org

Additional material can be found on SGM’s Promotion Toolkit