International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste2026 · Date · History · Messages · Quotes
A/RES/74/209
About International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste is observed on 29 September. The United Nations General Assembly established the day through resolution A/RES/74/209 in 2019, with the first observance held in 2020.
The day connects food security, resource efficiency and environmental sustainability. FAO and UNEP now co-convene or lead annual observance activity across the food supply chain, from production and storage to retail, food service and households.
Why International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste matters
Food loss and food waste occur at different points in food systems, so reducing them requires more than asking households to throw away less. Harvesting, storage, transport, processing, retail practices, portioning and consumer behaviour can all contribute.
A useful observance should focus on prevention and better use of food and resources before disposal. Activities can also connect reduction efforts with food security, climate action and Sustainable Development Goal target 12.3 without implying that one intervention solves every part of the food system.
History of International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
Andorra and San Marino submitted the original draft resolution for an international day in October 2019; the revised draft later gained broad co-sponsorship.
On 19 December 2019, the UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/74/209, designating 29 September as the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste.
FAO documented the first inaugural observance on 29 September 2020. FAO and UNEP have since served as the principal UN agencies leading or co-convening the annual day.
How the observance developed
This timeline uses documented milestones from reviewed sources. Missing stages are left out rather than guessed.
Andorra and San Marino
The UN Digital Library identifies Andorra and San Marino as the authors of the original draft resolution A/C.2/74/L.8.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/74/209
First documented observance
FAO and UNEP first-observance material identifies 29 September 2020 as the inaugural International Day.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Current UN and UNEP material identifies FAO and UNEP as the leading/co-convening agencies for the annual observance.
What the evidence establishes
Confirmed institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Details that could not be established from the reviewed sources are listed separately below.
3 fields not established in reviewed sources
How to Observe International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste
Measure one week of avoidable food waste in a household, cafeteria or workplace and separate preventable waste from unavoidable scraps before choosing an intervention.
Trace one food item through production, storage, transport, retail and consumption to identify where losses can occur and which actor can realistically reduce them.
Improve planning, storage, portioning, redistribution or donation practices in a way that follows local food-safety rules and does not treat unsafe food as recoverable.
Use a school or community activity to connect food-loss reduction with water, land, energy and labour used to produce food, while avoiding unsupported global statistics unless they are sourced and dated.
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Facts
The observance falls on 29 September each year.
The UN General Assembly established the day through resolution A/RES/74/209 on 19 December 2019.
Andorra and San Marino submitted the original draft resolution, which later received broad co-sponsorship.
The first observance took place on 29 September 2020.
FAO and UNEP lead or co-convene current UN observance activity.
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Messages
On International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste, may awareness lead to informed discussion, practical action and respect for the communities at the heart of the observance.
May International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste encourage thoughtful participation, shared responsibility and action that continues after the observance ends.
Wishing everyone observing International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste a day of reflection, constructive dialogue and purposeful follow-through.
International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste Quotes
“We cannot end hunger and all forms of malnutrition if we do not address the high levels of food loss and waste.”
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Sources used across the guide are gathered here. Labels show how each source supports the page, and contextual references are kept separate from primary evidence.
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/74/209 (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — original draft A/C.2/74/L.8 (opens in a new tab)
FAO — First International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste (opens in a new tab)
UNEP — UN and partners initiatives on food loss and waste (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Food Loss and Waste Reduction observance page (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — List of International Days and Weeks (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — Observances: who chooses them and how (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then compare closely related observances and explore useful connections.
Frequently asked questions
When is International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste?
29 September The documented recurrence rule is: 29 September.
Does International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste fall on the same date every year?
Yes. It uses a fixed annual date unless stronger evidence changes the pattern.
Is International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste an official public holiday?
The reviewed sources verify it within this scope: FAO / UNEP / United Nations / international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when reliable evidence explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste?
The reviewed sources identify United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Andorra and San Marino. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Is International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste international or country-specific?
The documented scope is international or global: FAO / UNEP / United Nations / international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual information is checked against reviewed sources, including the date pattern, scope and institutional history. This page was checked on 2026-09-05.
When did the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste begin?
The General Assembly established it in December 2019, and the first observance was held on 29 September 2020.
Who leads the UN observance?
FAO and UNEP are the principal UN agencies leading or co-convening current observance activity.
Why is the day on 29 September?
The establishing resolution designates 29 September, but the reviewed first-party sources do not provide a sufficiently explicit historical reason for selecting that exact date, so the guide does not invent one.
Other observances on September 29
These observances are also listed on September 29, 2027.
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National Coffee Day
The National Coffee Association repeatedly marks National Coffee Day around September 29, including its 2025 research release issued in advance of the September 29 observance and subsequent…
National Police Remembrance Day
Queensland Police Service states that the tradition began in 1989 and is observed annually; Victoria Police confirms 29 September each year and documented the 2026 observance.
National Silent Movie Day
Silent Movie Day’s organizers state that the annual celebration is held September 29 to promote silent-film exhibition and preservation.
National Women’s Health & Fitness Day
The official FitnessDay site states that National Women’s Health & Fitness Day is always held on the last Wednesday in September and is organized by the Health Information Resource Center.
VFW Day
Current Veterans of Foreign Wars material states that VFW Day is commemorated each year on September 29 and ties the date to the organization’s September 29, 1899 founding. VFW history also…