What You Need To Know About Food Day

Simplistic name aside, National Food Day is not another excuse to eat more guacamole. Instead, the project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest is to promote healthy, sustainable diets.

More than 2,000 events nationwide are planned for the first National Food Day today, with panel discussions about food deserts, individually held potlucks, and (hopefully) some discussions with children about why those french fries are bad for you.

Food Day founder Michael Jacobson hopes that today will "draw attention to the importance of the food we eat and how [it is] produced." So take some time to look over 10 American Cities That Are Going Hungry, 44 Things You Can Do to Fight Hunger in America, and 10 Celebrities Fighting Hunger in America.

The six official principles of Food Day are as follows:
• Promote healthy eating to reduce diet-related illnesses
• Support sustainable farms over larger agribusinesses
• Increase food access and end hunger
• Protect the environment and animals, reform factory farming
• Reduce junk-food marketing to kids
• Improve conditions for food and farm workers

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.