Nearly half of all deaths among children under the age of five are caused by hunger, Turkish first lady Emine Erdogan on Monday warned, calling for global action to reduce food waste on the fourth anniversary of International Zero Waste Day.

In a video message shared on US social media company X marking March 30, designated as International Zero Waste Day by the UN General Assembly in 2022 under Türkiye’s leadership, Erdogan highlighted the human and environmental costs of food waste and called for greater awareness and behavioral change.

She said that rescuing just one-quarter of food wasted globally could be enough to eliminate hunger, noting that 673 million people face hunger and over 2 billion lack access to adequate and balanced nutrition.

This year’s theme is set as "food waste," she said, noting that 673 million people worldwide are struggling with hunger, more than 2 billion lack adequate and balanced nutrition, and one in every 12 people lives under the risk of chronic hunger.

“We want to recognize the chain reaction behind every piece of food thrown away and collectively say ‘stop’ to this trend,” she added.

Erdogan also underlined that approximately 2.3 billion tons of food—equivalent to 5.8 trillion meals—are lost or wasted annually, stressing that “every wasted bite carries the rights of those whose lives depend on it.”

“Sadly, nearly half of deaths among children under the age of five worldwide are caused by hunger," she said. "Yet if we could recover just a quarter of the food wasted globally, we could end hunger in the world.”

She added that food loss and waste account for 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, increasing pressure on the environment and climate.

Citing the Food Waste Index Report, Erdogan said 60% of food waste occurs at the household level, emphasizing that simple behavioral changes could significantly reduce waste.

Referring to Türkiye’s Zero Waste Project launched in 2017, she said experience has shown that behavioral transformation is one of the most effective environmental and climate policies.

“Even by preventing a single fruit from spoiling, we can save the water, energy, and labor used to produce it,” she said, urging people to turn kitchens into places of respect for resources rather than centers of waste.

Erdogan called for collective action to build “a fair world where no child goes hungry.”