National Food Day
Cook something real on National Food Day, a U.S. date launched in 2011 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. October 24 is for healthy, affordable food and for the farm, labor, and nutrition policies behind it — and it is not the UN’s World Food Day, which falls on October 16.
About National Food Day
History & origins
National Food Day falls on October 24. It is a U.S. advocacy and food observance, not a federal holiday.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a Washington, D.C., nutrition and food-safety watchdog founded in 1971, created Food Day in 2011. Michael F. Jacobson, then CSPI’s executive director and a co-founder of the group, described it as a nationwide campaign — modeled in spirit on Earth Day — to get Americans to “eat real” and to push for healthier, more affordable food grown in a sustainable, humane way. CSPI announced the campaign in April 2011, with the first Food Day on 24 October 2011. Events that year included school meals, city proclamations, and a large New York “eat-in.” Honorary co-chairs included Senator Tom Harkin and Representative Rosa DeLauro.
October 24 was a convenient autumn date, not a UN anniversary. World Food Day, created by the FAO and observed by the UN on 16 October, is a different international day (TheDayOf: `/international/world-food-day-international/`). Do not 301 Food Day into World Food Day. In 2026, October 24 is also United Nations Day and Make a Difference Day; keep the three pages separate.
CSPI’s large national campaign later scaled down; local groups still use the date. The origin remains CSPI, 2011.
Why it matters
Food days on this calendar are often about one dish. Food Day was built as a policy and diet date: what is in school lunch, how farm workers are treated, how much sugar is in the supermarket. That is a heavier brief than a recipe, and it is the reason the day exists.
How to celebrate
Cook a meal from whole ingredients. Eat at a farm-to-school or farmers-market dinner if one is listed. Write a school-food or SNAP office about a specific local issue instead of a generic “raise awareness” post. Read CSPI’s original Food Day aims: health, hunger, farm policy, and humane production. Do not treat this as World Food Day (October 16) or as United Nations Day (the same date, different subject).
Facts
- CSPI launched Food Day in 2011; the first observance was 24 October 2011
- Michael F. Jacobson, then CSPI executive director, conceived the campaign
- The slogan was to “eat real” and to advocate healthier, more affordable, more sustainable food
- World Food Day is a separate UN/FAO date on October 16
- It is not a U.S. federal holiday
Upcoming dates
- Saturday, October 24, 2026
- Sunday, October 24, 2027
- Tuesday, October 24, 2028
- Wednesday, October 24, 2029
- Thursday, October 24, 2030
Frequently asked questions
When is National Food Day in 2026?
National Food Day in 2026 falls on Saturday, October 24, 2026.
What is National Food Day?
It is a U.S. food-policy and healthy-eating date created by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. It asks people to eat real food and to pay attention to farm and nutrition policy. It is not World Food Day.
Who started National Food Day?
CSPI started it in 2011. Michael F. Jacobson, then the group’s executive director, was the public face of the launch.
How do you celebrate National Food Day?
Cook from whole ingredients, support a local food program, or take one concrete policy action (school meals, hunger relief, farm workers). It is not a junk-food party.
Is National Food Day an official holiday?
No. It is not a U.S. federal holiday. It is also not World Food Day, which is a UN/FAO observance on October 16 (`/international/world-food-day-international/`). Do not redirect one page to the other.
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