World Food Day aims to intensify the battle against hunger

Global Minnesota will host a virtual World Food Day conference on Friday, one of several across the globe aimed at making more people determined to fight global hunger.

The conference will feature presentations by experts on global food topics including hunger relief, regenerative agriculture and sustainable development, food security and safety, and effects of climate change.

Similar events will be conducted in Japan, Norway and Egypt, among other places, before the end of the month. World Food Day is a project of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary.

As a leader in food, agriculture and health, Minnesota is well-positioned to bring problem-solving expertise to sustainable food systems and healthy eating, said Mark Ritchie, the president of Global Minnesota.

"World Food Day, coming at the height of Minnesota's harvest, is our finest opportunity to be grateful for the gifts of nature and to rededicate ourselves to ensure that we tackle hunger whenever and wherever it threatens," Ritchie said in a statement. "Global Minnesota is committed to connecting Minnesotans to the world and the world to Minnesota — and food is without a doubt the most powerful connector — over dinner and around the planet."

The daylong Global Minnesota event, one of the largest in the world on Friday, will be free to the public. People can register at the organization's website, and the event will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Presenters will include David Beasley, executive director of the United Nations World Food Program, which recently helped feed the city of Beirut, and Jeffrey Sachs, founder and director of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

General Mills CEO Jeff Harmening, executives at Target and Cargill, University of Minnesota President Joan Gabel, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, and representatives of the World Health Organization and the government of Mexico will also participate in panel discussions throughout the day.