Food Justice- Right to Food

Food Justice- Right to Food

The right to food protects the right that people have to feed themselves. It is a universal human right. It implies that there is the availability of sufficient food and means for the people to access it. It ensures the ability of people to feed them with dignity. The food should be able to meet the dietary needs of each individual ((“Food Justice: Economics, Ethics, Access,” 2017). All human beings have the right to be free from malnutrition, food insecurity, and hunger. “We think that people from all walks of life have the potential to be well off.” (Shafer, 2012). The right to food is not an implication that the government should hand over free food to everyone. However, if access to food is deprived to people due to their lack of control, the government is required by that right to provide food to them directly. Those reasons include natural disasters, war, or people in detention. The number of people who suffer from hidden hunger and micronutrient deficiencies is over 2 billion.

Right to food has three dimensions, availability, adequacy, and accessibility. Availability of food refers to several possibilities. Either an individual feeds directly from productive land or natural resources (Bryant & Stevens, 2006). There is a well-functioning food distribution in the market systems or processing systems that move food from the production site to where it’s in demand.  Accessibility implies physical and economic access to food. Financial accessibility means that the food is affordable to the consumer without compromising the other basic needs. Each person can easily afford the food within their budget. “Nothing can make your life better unless it gets you what you want.” (Shafer,  2012). Physical accessibility implies that the food should be reachable by people, including the sick, elderly, disabled, and children. Adequacy means that the food should satisfy all the dietary needs of the people. Adequacy should consider the health, sex, occupation, age, religion, and culture of every individual. The food should never be contaminated; protective measures should be put in place.

The right to food has raised obligations to states. These are obligations to fulfill, protect, and respect. Responsibility to protect implies that the state should put appropriate laws in place and enforce them (Skogly, 2007). The statutes or measures should prevent third parties from violating the right to food. “Doesn’t everyone need enough food and water to remain alive?” (Shafer, 2012). Third parties include corporations and individuals. The obligation to protect requires the government to never take actions that can deprive people of the right to food. The commitment to fulfill implies that the government must engage in activities that can strengthen the utilization and accessibility of resources.

In conclusion, though many people in the world are facing hunger and malnutrition, it is the right of every person to have access to good and healthy food. Every individual needs clean and balanced food either from the farm or the market system, and every state should ensure that its people have access. Food should be universally available, accessible, and adequate to every individual. It is not just a human right but a universal human right.

References

Bryant, M., & Stevens, J. (2006). Measurement of food availability in the home. Nutrition Reviews, 64(2), 67-76.

Skogly, S. (2007). Right to Food: National Implementation and Extraterritorial Obligations. Max Planck Yearbook of United Nations Law, 11, 339-358.

Shafer-Landau, R. (2012). The fundamentals of ethics (p. 400). Oxford: Oxford University Press.

UCTV. (2017). Food Justice: Economics, Ethics, Access [TV program]. The University of California Television.

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