KARACHI, Oct 15 (APP): The University of Karachi’s Department of Food Science and Technology organized a seminar, World Food Day 2026: Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow at the departmental Master Conference Hall on Thursday.
The event brought together experts from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Pakistan, and KU who stressed that food security requires innovation, modern technology, scientific research, and the sustainable use of natural resources.
FAO Pakistan Program Coordinator Botagoz Nartayeva said that food systems are not limited to production alone but encompass land, water, biodiversity, employment, farmers’ welfare, and the role of all stakeholders.
She emphasized that climate change, water scarcity, floods, droughts, and extreme heat are major challenges for agriculture, requiring effective strategies tailored to local needs. She shared that FAO Pakistan is working closely with farmers to understand their problems and provide practical solutions.
“One initiative involves using discarded parts of bananas in the textile industry to reduce food waste and promote alternative raw materials.”
Congratulating KU on completing 75 years, she praised its role in training researchers, scientists, and food technologists, and added that combining local knowledge of small farmers, women, and marginalized groups with modern research and technology is vital for sustainable development.
Earlier, Associate Professor Dr Syed Muhammad Ghufran Saeed highlighted alarming statistics and shared that around 645 million people worldwide suffer from hunger, while 2.69 billion face food deficiencies.
He noted that despite widespread hunger, more than one billion tons of food is wasted annually, and reducing this waste could significantly help meet global nutritional needs. He stressed that efficient food use and waste reduction are key steps toward improving food security.
The Chairman of the Department of Food Science and Technology Dr Abdul Haq said that tackling hunger, food insecurity, and lack of nutritious diets requires modern technology, effective safety measures, and reliable food supply chains.
He pointed out that in 2017 alone, 526 million tons of food were lost due to inadequate refrigeration and cold chain facilities, underscoring the need for improved drying methods, packaging, and temperature monitoring.
He warned that unsafe food poses a grave public health risk, with 866 million cases of illness and 1.52 million deaths annually worldwide linked to contaminated food, nearly 29 percent of which affect children under five.
He stressed that reducing food loss, improving cold chain facilities, safe packaging, modern processing, and food testing methods are essential to ensure food security.
On this occasion, the KU Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences Professor Dr Haris Shoaib emphasized that economic growth depends on export oriented strategies.
He explained that expanding access to global markets strengthens foreign exchange reserves and stabilizes national economies. Comparing China and India, he noted that differences in exports and GDP illustrate how effective trade policies drive prosperity.
He added that rapid population growth, climate change, regional conflicts, and supply chain disruptions pose serious challenges, making it essential to improve agriculture, promote value addition, balance industrial and agricultural production, and strengthen supply chains for sustainable economic development.
The seminar also featured a panel discussion on nutrition, food safety, public health, empowering food business stakeholders, and practical solutions through food science. Experts agreed that collaboration between institutions, scientists, and farmers, supported by reliable data and effective monitoring systems, is vital to achieving food security goals.