WINNIPEG — Chef Michael Smith is urging Canadians to adopt a climate-friendly diet on World Food Day (Oct. 16) by eating more pulses. The theme of this year’s World Food Day is “Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must, too.”
“Every Canadian family can make a positive and immediate impact on our climate by eating pulses,” says Smith, Canada’s International Year of Pulses ambassador. “Peas, beans, chickpeas and lentils are good for your health and the health of the planet.”
Pulses have a low carbon footprint and improve soil health by feeding soil microbes. Pulses are also a water-efficient and a low-fat source of protein, fibre and many vitamins and minerals, which help manage diet-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.
“When farmers grow pulses, they feed millions of people in a way that actually gives back to the land,” says Denis Tremorin, director of Sustainability at Pulse Canada. “Pulses, in partnership with a range of other foods, represent how Canadians can make a positive impact on the environment.”
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has been celebrating World Food Day since 1945. More than 150 countries participate in the celebrations, which makes the event one of the UN’s largest. The major focus of these events is to promote awareness of world hunger and the need for global food security.
More information about pulses is available at pulses.org.
