Food

Food is any substance^[2] consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant^W or animal^W origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates^W, fats, proteins^W, vitamins^W, or minerals^W. The substance is ingested by an organism and assimilated by the organism's cells in an effort to produce energy, maintain life, and/or stimulate growth.

Historically, people secured food through two methods: hunting and gathering^W, and agriculture. Today, most of the food energy^W consumed by the world population^W is supplied by the food industry^W, which is operated by multinational corporations^W that use intensive farming^W and industrial agriculture^W to maximize system output^W.

Food safety and food security are monitored by agencies like the International Association for Food Protection^W, World Resources Institute^W, World Food Programme^W, Food and Agriculture Organization^W, and International Food Information Council^W. They address issues such as sustainability, biological diversity^W, climate change, nutritional economics^W, population growth, water supply, and access to food.

The right to food^W is a human right^W derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights^W (ICESCR), recognizing the "right to an adequate standard of living, including adequate food", as well as the "fundamental right to be free from hunger".