(AGENPARL) – Mon 06 October 2025 [A blue and orange sign with white text AI-generated content may be incorrect.]
WORLD FOOD WEEK 2025
This year, the Word Food Forum (WFF) and the World Food Day (WFD) coincide with FAO’s 80th anniversary under the theme:
“Hand in Hand for Better Foods and a Better Future”
10 October (16:00 CEST) – High-level inauguration of the FAO Global Exhibition “From Seeds to Foods” at Park of Porta Capena
Participation of FAO Director-General, QU Dongyu; King Letsie III of Lesotho, the Minister for Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests of Italy, Francesco Lollobrigida; the Minister for National Development Planning of Indonesia, Rachmat Pambudy; and representatives from the City of Rome.
The exhibition will be open to the public from Friday to Sunday (10-12 October) from 10:00-19:00 CEST, and on Monday (13 October) from 10:00-13:00 CEST. It will showcase the diversity of agrifood systems across the world and display technologies and practices shaping the future of food and agriculture – from a replica of the Svalbard Seed Vault to aquaponic greenhouses, agricultural drones, satellites and even dogs trained to detect plant diseases.
13 October (14:00 CEST) – Grand Opening of the World Food Forum (WFF) 2025 at FAO Headquarters in Rome
WFF is organized around three pillars – Global Youth Action, Science and Innovation Forum , and Hand in Hand Investment Forum.
WFF 2025 will also feature the annual edition of the Rome Water Dialogue, a nomadic Indigenous Peoples’ territory, the South-South and Triangular Cooperation Ministerial Dialogue, the High-Level event on One Country One Priority Product initiative, and the First International Green Cities Conference.
A full programme of the 2025 WFF can be found online here.
16 October – World Food Day (WFD) 2025
09:30 CEST: Inauguration of the Food and Agriculture Museum and Network (FAO MuNe)​ by Sergio Mattarella, President of the Italian Republic​​, and QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General.
The museum will be a permanent educational experience dedicated to food and agriculture and open to the public. Combining onsite spaces with interactive digital platforms, it will showcase the significance and history of global agrifood systems, culinary traditions, scientific and innovative advancements and the roles of women, youth, and Indigenous Peoples in building a sustainable food future through FAO’s Four Betters – Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment and a Better Life.
10:30 CEST: WFD Global Ceremony
Participants include:
His Holiness Pope Leo XIV;
QU Dongyu, FAO Director-General;
(a Representative of the Italian Government);
King Letsie III of Lesotho, FAO Special Goodwill ​Ambassador for Nutrition;
Queen Letizia of Spain​, FAO Special Goodwill ​Ambassador for Nutrition​;
Princess Basma Bint Ali of Jordan, FAO Goodwill Ambassador for Near East and North Africa;
Yamandú Orsi Martínez, President of Uruguay;
Alvaro Lario, President, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD);
Cindy Hensley McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme (WFP);
Ban Ki-moon​, 8th Secretary-General ​of the United Nation.
15:00 CEST: FAO80 World Food Day Talks-Foods Futures: Conversations for a Better World
Hosted by award-winning food journalist and broadcaster Dan Saladino and food writer Yasmin Khan, the Davos-style talk series will bring together a diverse group of leaders and innovators, including King Letsie III of Lesotho, Princess Basma bint Ali of Jordan, global development economist Jeffrey Sachs, chefs Fatmata Binta, Magnus Nilsson and Cristina Bowerman, actress Monique Coleman, artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, urbanist Carolyn Steel, TV gardener Diarmuid Gavin, sustainability scientists Tim Benton, Natalia Vázquez Manjarrez and Shonil A. Bhagwat, all of whom will join FAO’s Core Leadership to connect grassroots ideas with global action.
Later, FAO Director-General QU Dongyu will designate chef Fatmata Binta as FAO Regional Goodwill Ambassador for Africa. The ceremony will conclude with the presentation of the FAO Achievement Award.
17 October (10:30 CEST) – Junior World Food Day Celebration
At the event aimed at inspiring youth action for a sustainable future, students aged 9-14 will join activities designed to promote healthy eating and reduce food waste.
Celebrity chef Alessandro Borghese, actress Monique Coleman, players from the Italian Rugby Federation, and a line-up of youth activists, influencers and innovators will take part in an interactive cooking show packed with stories, music, dance and rugby energy.
14:00 CEST – Closing ceremony of the World Food Forum
ACCREDITATION
To attend the World Food Forum 2025 in person, journalists should register at the WFF portal.
Media access to FAO headquarters will be through Viale Aventino 7.
For the live webcast of World Food Day, please follow here.
Journalists can access videos, audio and photos of WFF and WFD 2025 here.
ON SOCIAL MEDIA
@FAO @FAOnews @World_FoodForum
#WorldFoodDay
#WorldFoodForum
#HandinHand
#FAO80
More information
World Food Forum 2025
World Food Day 2025
Global Youth Action
Science and Innovation
Hand-in-Hand Investment
Indigenous Peoples
Seeds to Food event
South-South Cooperation
Rome Water Dialogue
One Country One Priority Product Initiative
Green Cities Conference
FAO Museum and Network (FAO MuNe)
Journalists & editors:
Online tools:
Photos via the FAOnews Flickr account
RSS feed of FAO news releases