LAHORE: The Pakistan Dairy Association (PDA), in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and Punjab Food Authority, commemorated the World Food Day 2023, with a focus on the critical role of water in milk production.

The World Food Day (WFD), celebrated every year on October 16, marks the founding of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in 1945. It serves as an annual reminder for global communities to raise awareness and take steps toward transforming our food systems.

The theme for this year, “leave no one behind: water is life, water is food”, highlights the essential role of water in agriculture, food production, and the well-being of communities.

In this year’s World Food Day event, the Pakistan Dairy Association aligned itself with the international community by organising a seminar here on Tuesday. The event featured an array of distinguished speakers, including National Alliance for Safe Food Chairman Rana Awais Khan, PDA CEO Dr Shehzad Amin, academia, industry experts, food regulatory authorities and policymakers. The key points of their discussions included water, often referred to as ‘blue gold’, was irreplaceable in sustaining life on our planet.

In the context of food production, they said, it plays a pivotal role, particularly in the production of milk, a valuable source of essential nutrients for human consumption. “Milk, comprising approximately 87 percent water, underscores the vital contribution of water to its composition and nutritional value.

The quality and availability of water have a substantial impact on milk production, affecting aspects such as animal hydration, feed cultivation and dairy processing. Notably, a cow requires around 600-800 litres of water to produce a single litre of milk, encompassing both cow consumption and feed cultivation. This underscores the paramount importance of water in this context,” they added.

According to him, the quality of water used in dairy and food processing is of paramount importance. Contaminated water can introduce pathogens and pollutants into the food chain, posing severe health risks to consumers.

Ensuring access to safe and clean water throughout the food production cycle, which is pivotal for preserving public health. Additionally, agricultural practices, particularly irrigation, heavily rely on water resources.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023