The World Food Prize at 40: Food Security in a Strategic Age

Why It Matters

Elevating food safety as a prize category underscores its critical role in preventing illness, reducing waste, and stabilizing supply chains, directly affecting public health, trade and the bottom line for agribusinesses worldwide.

Key Takeaways

• Food safety now recognized as World Food Prize category.
• Global Harmonization Initiative connects 113 countries for safe food.
• 733 million people remain food insecure, exacerbated by conflict.
• Foundation convenes leaders, youth, innovators to tackle nutrition security.
• Huub Lelieveld honored for reducing foodborne illness worldwide.

Summary

The World Food Prize marked its 40‑year anniversary, using the ceremony to spotlight the growing importance of food safety alongside traditional agricultural breakthroughs. This year’s laureate, Huub Lelieveld, was recognized for his work with the Global Harmonization Initiative, which builds a volunteer network across 113 countries to make food safe, accessible, and reliable.

Speakers highlighted that 733 million people—about 28 % of the global population—remain food‑insecure, a figure that has risen since the pandemic and is amplified by wars that weaponize food supplies. The foundation cited the GHI’s achievements in cutting food‑borne illness deaths, reducing waste, and aligning scientific standards with policy, illustrating how safety is now a core pillar of food‑security strategy.

Norman Borlaug’s conviction that hunger is not inevitable resonated throughout the event, with remarks noting 420,000 annual deaths from food‑borne diseases and 60 million cases worldwide, especially among children under five. Past laureates’ work—from sorghum innovation to biological pest control—was presented as a continuum of scientific progress that now includes regulatory harmonization.

The emphasis on food safety signals a shift for governments, businesses, and investors: securing supply chains, meeting stricter standards, and supporting cross‑border collaboration will be essential to meet rising demand and to prevent food from being used as a weapon of war. The World Food Prize’s advocacy and convening power aim to accelerate these efforts, making safety a measurable component of global nutrition goals.

Original Description

Following the announcement of the 2026 World Food Prize Laureate(s), recipient of the prestigious $500,000 award, panelists discuss how finance, science, and geopolitics are reshaping global food security, and what policies can strengthen our resilience against climate shocks, supply disruptions, and growing strategic competition.

Awarded by the World Food Prize Foundation, the World Food Prize is the preeminent global award recognizing individuals who have enhanced human development and confronted global hunger through improving the quality, quantity or availability of food for all.

Speakers

Sharon E. Burke

Chief Engagement Officer, CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center); CFR Member

Swathi Veeravalli

Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service

Thomas J. Vilsack

Chief Executive Officer, World Food Prize Foundation; Former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture; CFR Member

Presider

Michael Werz

Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations

00:00 – Introduction and Event Opening

09:24 – Celebrating 40 Years of the World Food Prize

14:11 – Announcing the 57th World Food Prize Laureate

25:11 – Governor Tom Vilsack: The Global Right to Food

36:45 – Panel Discussion: Food Security as a Strategic Priority

43:10 – Innovation and Building Resilient Food Systems

50:44 – National Security and Global Market Volatility

01:10:05 – Audience Q&A: Global Policy and Future Challenges

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