Introduction
World Food Day is a United Nations programme initiated by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and observed globally every year on October 16th. The event reminds us of the critical role food plays in human lives, promoting global awareness and action for those suffering from hunger and ensuring healthy diets for all. Its main goal is to eradicate hunger and malnutrition while also advancing sustainable means of food supply and production.
FAO reports that although the world produces enough food to nourish everyone, about 673 million people still face hunger, and 2.6 billion cannot afford a healthy diet. This is because conflicts, economic instability and climate shocks put pressure on agrifood systems; hence, the challenge is how to ensure access to reliable, affordable and nutritious food for people everywhere.
This year’s theme is “Innovate today, nourish tomorrow”, and the Department of Nutrition of the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, in collaboration with the Ghana Food Movement and Food for All Africa, intends to mark the day, raise awareness, and promote the utilization of indigenous foods for optimal nutrition. This will be the maiden official commemoration of World Food Day by NMIMR and Ghana Food Movement, both collaboratively and as individual institutions, and we hope to reach out to about 2,000 people (directly and indirectly) from all sectors, including research and academia, students, government, business, CSOs, the media, and the general public beyond the University of Ghana community. We are thus seeking your support and participation to make it a remarkable experience.
Activities
It will be a one-day event held on Friday, 16th October 2026, at the Noguchi Memorial Institute, University of Ghana. The planned activities are as follows:
Symposium – Morning (9 am-12 pm)
The symposium will be an exposition on the theme. It will be open to the general public, offering a high-visibility platform for ideas and dialogue on nutrition and food security.
Cooking competition (12 pm -2 pm)
This will be a spirited culinary contest designed to encourage innovation in nutritious meal preparation while showcasing practical applications of healthy cooking. This is expected to be one of the most exciting highlights of the day.
Farmers’ market + Vendor exhibition and sales (8 am – 5 pm)
A dedicated exhibition space for organisations to display and sell their products, ranging from fresh food crops to processed foods, to a broad and diverse audience throughout the event. Vendors will be required to pay a token fee to display and sell their products.
Research corner (8 am- 5 pm)
A dedicated space for research findings and projects to be disseminated in an interactive and digestible way. Connecting academia, practitioners, and the general public within nutrition, sustainability and local food systems. Exhibitors will be students, researchers and other interested entities.
Expected Outcomes
We believe this event presents a rare and valuable opportunity for all stakeholders in the food, nutrition, and public health space to engage meaningfully with a captive, highly relevant audience.
We also hope that by the end of the day, there will be:
Knowledge Exchange & Capacity Building: Approximately 500–800 attendees (policymakers, researchers, students, farmers, and entrepreneurs) will actively participate in the event, gaining direct access to cutting-edge research, policy insights, and practical innovations from keynote speakers and panelists.
Showcased Innovations: A minimum of 10–15 research posters/exhibits will be displayed by universities, other institutions and entrepreneurs translating complex agricultural science into accessible solutions for the public and stakeholders.
Market Access & Economic Activity: Over 20–30 local farmers and food vendors will actively sell and promote their produce at the farmers’ market, generating direct sales and creating a live “farm-to-fork” experience for the community.
Public Engagement: The outdoor cooking competition will engage 10–15 contestants and will attract a public audience of 300–500 community members, demonstrating innovative ways to prepare nutritious, locally-sourced meals.
Network Expansion: Formal and informal connections will be established between researchers, policymakers, private sector players, and farmer associations, culminating in the exchange of at least 30–40 business cards or follow-up contacts.
Event Collaboration
Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (led by Department of Nutrition)
The Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research (NMIMR) of the University of Ghana is a leading biomedical research institution dedicated to improving public health through research, training, and laboratory services. The Institute conducts research on diseases of public health importance, trains undergraduate and postgraduate students in biomedical sciences, and provides advanced diagnostic, surveillance, and monitoring services to support Ghana’s public health system.
The Department of Nutrition has focused on nutrient (protein) requirements of Ghanaians, as well as Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) practices and interventions. It has also examined food consumption and security, with a focus on maternal, infant and child nutrition. Recent research has focused on improving school meals, food systems, and food security; conducting efficacy studies of novel and food-based micronutrient supplementation; and developing dietary assessment tools, including AI-based methods. The Department has evaluated complex nutrition interventions and developed food-based guidelines for infants and young children. Our expanded research portfolio now spans dietary pattern analysis, nutrient biochemistry and metabolic physiology to address the double burden, infection-nutrition interactions and sustainable diets, generating evidence for national policy and global science.
Ghana Food Movement
Ghana Food Movement (GFM) is an organisation that celebrates local crops and their potential for nutrition and business opportunities. The Ghana Food Movement began a school meal initiative working with school caterers, chefs, and farmers to bring indigenous and locally grown crops back into Ghanaian school meals, through recipe development, food education, and farmer-school linkages. GFM will exhibit their work during the day and coordinate the cooking competition.
Food for All Africa
Food for All Africa is a non-profit organisation that operates West Africa’s first and largest circular food bank in Ghana, working to address hunger, food insecurity, malnutrition and food waste through an innovative Circular Food Banking Model.
Founded by Chef Elijah Amoo Addo, Food for All Africa recovers safe, nutritious surplus food from farms, food businesses, markets, manufacturers, hotels and other sources and redistributes it to vulnerable individuals, families, schools and communities.
The organization’s programmes include the LunchBox School Feeding Initiative, Mother and Infant Nutrition Improvement Programme (MINIP), Mobile Hot Meals and Charity Catering, Emergency Food Relief, Agricultural Food Loss Recovery, and Circular Economy and Black Soldier Fly (BSF) initiatives that transform unavoidable organic waste into animal feed and organic fertiliser.
Through partnerships, research, advocacy, skills development and community-based interventions, Food for All Africa seeks to build more resilient and sustainable food systems while creating opportunities for farmers, young people and vulnerable communities.