Right to food around the world (as of 2011–2012):[1][2][3]
Adopted or drafting a framework law (19)
Constitutional, explicit as a right (23)
Constitutional, implicit in broader rights or as directive principle (41)
Direct applicability via international treaties (103)
Committed by ratifying the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (160)
No known right to food
Note: The same country can fall in multiple categories; the colour given to a country corresponds to the highest listed category in which a country falls.
The right to food, and its variations, is a human right protecting the right of people to feed themselves in dignity, implying that sufficient food is available, that people have the means to access it, and that it adequately meets the individual's dietary needs. The right to food protects the right of all human beings to be free from hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition.[4] The right to food implies that governments only have an obligation to hand out enough free food to starving recipients to ensure subsistence, it does not imply a universal right to be fed. Also, if people are deprived of access to food for reasons beyond their control, for example, because they are in detention, in times of war or after natural disasters, the right requires the government to provide food directly.[5]
The right is derived from the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights[5] which has 170 state parties as of April 2020.[2] States that sign the covenant agree to take steps to the maximum of their available resources to achieve progressively the full realization of the right to adequate food, both nationally and internationally.[6][4] In a total of 106 countries the right to food is applicable either via constitutional arrangements of various forms or via direct applicability in law of various international treaties in which the right to food is protected.[7]
At the 1996 World Food Summit, governments reaffirmed the right to food and committed themselves to halve the number of hungry and malnourished from 840 to 420 million by 2015. However, the number has increased over the past years, reaching an infamous record in 2009 of more than 1 billion undernourished people worldwide.[4] Furthermore, the number who suffer from hidden hunger – micronutrient deficiences that may cause stunted bodily and intellectual growth in children – amounts to over 2 billion people worldwide.[8]
Whilst under international law, states are obliged to respect, protect and fulfill the right to food, the practical difficulties in achieving this human right are demonstrated by prevalent food insecurity across the world, and ongoing litigation in countries such as India.[9][10] In the continents with the biggest food-related problems – Africa, Asia and South America – not only is there shortage of food and lack of infrastructure but also maldistribution and inadequate access to food.[11]
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative[12] measures the right to food for countries around the world, based on their level of income.[13]
^Knuth 2011.
^ abUnited Nations Treaty Collection 2012a
^United Nations Treaty Collection 2012b
^ abcZiegler 2012: "What is the right to food?"
^ abSpecial Rapporteur on the Right to Food 2012a: "Right to Food."
^International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights 1966: article 2(1), 11(1) and 23.
^Knuth 2011: 32.
^Ahluwalia 2004: 12.
^Westcott, Catherine and Nadia Khoury and CMS Cameron McKenna,The Right to Food, (Advocates for International Development, October 2011)http://a4id.org/sites/default/files/user/Right%20to%20Food%20Legal%20Guide.pdf.
^"Aadhaar vs. Right to food".
^Ahluwalia 2004: iii.
^"Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
^"Right to food - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 2022-03-09.
The righttofood, and its variations, is a human right protecting the right of people to feed themselves in dignity, implying that sufficient food is...
provides an overview of the status of the righttofood at a national level. Argentina has included the topic of food sovereignty in framework law, though...
economics, population growth, water supply, and access tofood. The righttofood is a "human right" derived from the International Covenant on Economic...
Guidelines to support the Progressive Realization of the Rightto Adequate Food in the Context of National Food Security, also known as the RighttoFood Guidelines...
dimensions of food security are reinforced in conceptual and legal understandings of the righttofood. The World Food Summit in 1996 declared that "food should...
rights instruments; this, together with the righttofood and the rightto housing, are parts of the rightto an adequate standard of living as recognized...
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat...
fulfilling the righttofood. Food insecurity is defined at a household level, of not having adequate food for any household member due to finances. The...
The rightto keep and bear arms (often referred to as the rightto bear arms) is a legal right for people to possess weapons (arms) for the preservation...
organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The Declaration reaffirms the right of everyone to have access to safe and nutritious...
cooking to prepare food for consumption. The majority of the food energy required is supplied by the industrial food industry, which produces food through...
chronically hungry and little progress has been made in ensuring the equal righttofood for women enshrined in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms...
Rightto repair is a legal right for owners of devices and equipment to freely modify and repair products such as automobiles, electronics, and farm equipment...
2024, experts, such as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the RighttoFood, warned that Gaza might already be experiencing famine; while Jeremy...
Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations states that the righttofood is "The rightto feed oneself in dignity. It is the rightto have...
The rightto life is the belief that a human or other animal has the rightto live and, in particular, should not be killed by another entity. The concept...
Special Rapporteur on the RighttoFood is a Special Rapporteur appointed by the United Nations, who reports on the righttofood. The mandate was established...
States party to the Covenant have to maximise their available resources to achieve the rightto adequate food. Climate change is going to affect all four...
Democratic People's Republic of Korea ... including the violation of the righttofood, the violations associated with prison camps, torture and inhumane treatment...
The rightto resist is a human right, although its scope and content are controversial. The rightto resist, depending on how it is defined, can take the...
food pantries and soup kitchens. Some food banks distribute food directly with their food pantries. St. Mary's Food Bank was the world's first food bank...
New Delhi. He also served as Special Commissioner to the Supreme Court of India in the RighttoFood Campaign and was a member of the National Advisory...
of India & Others – popularly known as the "righttofood" case. The PUCL argued that article 21 – "rightto life" of the Indian constitution when read...
The rightto property, or the rightto own property (cf. ownership), is often[how often?] classified as a human right for natural persons regarding their...
enacted the National Food Security Act in 2013. Also known as the RighttoFood Act, this Act seeks to provide subsidized food grains to approximately two-thirds...
Global Information