The right to food was initially recognised in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It has since been developed by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, who now recognise the importance of the right to adequate food, defining this as ‘regular, permanent and unrestricted access, either directly or by means of financial purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of the people to which the consumer belongs, and which ensure a physical and mental, individual and collective, fulfilling and dignified life free of fear’.
Table recommended resources
The Right to Food Guidelines, Democracy and Citizen Participation: Country case studies
This book by Katharine Cresswell Riol provides a review of the objectives of the Right to Food Guidelines that were implemented a decade ago.…
No right to food and nutrition in the SDGs: mistake or success?
In this short article, the authors argue that the explicit absence of the ‘right to food’ in the Sustainable Development Goals is unjust and is…
Right to food and universal free school meals
This briefing from UK NGO Sustain argues that the UK government should extend universal free school…
Related resources
- Ep28: Busiso Moyo on the Right to Food
Podcast episode - UN Raises Alarm About Food Supplies in Gaza
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