Common Questions
Don’t we already have the Right to Food? No. There are no federal protections for the right to food in the United States. In 2021, Maine became the first state to adopt a Right to Food amendment in its state constitution. Advocates and legislators in other states are working to progress similar constitutional protections elsewhere. The U.S. government has declined to ratify the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which recognizes the right to food as an important part of securing an adequate standard of living. Although heavily involved in drafting and developing these legal protections at an international level, the U.S. has not committed to be bound by them itself. This is because the government argues that our own social protections are sufficient, that market forces and economic growth will be the ‘tide that lifts all boats’, or that the Covenant refers to goals and not rights.
Is your work all about laws and policies? No. Changing laws and policies is a very important strategy for advancing the right to food, but there is much more to do if we are going to transform the food system for all. Even if a law is passed or the constitution is amended, there is plenty of work to do before and afterwards to ensure this is making a difference to decisions that affect our lives every day. No matter where you are, or what skills and experience you bring to this work, you can begin using a right to food approach to transform the food system.
Does the Right to Food mean the government has to provide food to everyone? No. The right to food is not a right to be fed. The right to food is about living in a society in which every individual has the ability to feed themselves, their households, and their community with dignity. This can be through purchasing good food through stable markets or by growing, raising, harvesting, or producing their own food. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights explains that: “The right to food is not a right to be fed, but primarily the right to feed oneself in dignity. Individuals are expected to meet their own needs, through their own efforts and using their own resources. To be able to do this, a person must live in conditions that allow him or her either to produce food or to buy it. To produce his or her own food, a person needs land, seeds, water and other resources, and to buy it, one needs money and access to the market. The right to food requires States to provide an enabling environment in which people can use their full potential to produce or procure adequate food for themselves and their families. However, when people are not able to feed themselves with their own means, for instance because of an armed conflict, natural disaster or because they are in detention, the State must provide food directly."
For more information, see: The Right to Adequate Food - Fact Sheet No. 34.
Is the Right to Food just about making sure people don’t starve or go hungry? No. The right to food is about more than having enough food to survive. If our only goal was to make sure everyone had access to enough calories, we could achieve this by producing more and more cheap food and distributing excess foods through charity. This approach would not guarantee the right to food because it does not take into account the nutritional, cultural, and social aspects of food. It also fails to account for the health of the environment and needs of future generations.