Right to Food
“Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services” (Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948).
Everyone has the right to access nutritious and equitable food that is both religiously and culturally appropriate, stainable food. Our right to food campaign advocates the realisation of the Right to Food in UK law.
Despite being one of the richest countries in the world, nearly 8.4 million adults and children living in the UK struggle to access the food they need. Successive UK governments have pledged to uphold the right to food on the international stage. However, this right has yet to be brought home, meaning that it is not a right currently included in UK domestic law. The commitments UK governments have made on an international stage mean that government should be taking active measures to respect, protect, and fulfill the right to food and this includes by ensuring that food is available, accessible, and adequate at all times and by everyone. Yet, as many people across the UK know, this is not the case.
The right to food does not just mean the right to be fed, nor does it mean the reliance on charitable food provision. Rather, it means that the UK government needs to ensure that all of its policies and decision making, especially around work, welfare, and immigration, guarantee that all people at all times can afford adequate food and that additional support is provided for those who might need it, for example, like the provision of meals on wheels or school meals.
With a rich heritage of food, agriculture, and equality, we believe that the Jewish community should be taking leading steps towards ensuring that the right to food can be enjoyed by all.
Campaign priorities include:
- To influence decision makers (on local and national levels) to commit to a right to food.
- To collaborate with activism groups, policy makers and Jewish leaders to make progress on realising the right to food.
A New Flavour of Giving: A Guide to Culturally and Religiously Appropriate Food Donations
by Roxana Isaacs, René Cassin Youth Ambassador 2023 "Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the...
Sign Our Letter to Barnet Council – bring back hot kosher lunches!
The rising cost of food including Kosher food is creating an emergency situation
Voices Beyond the Food Bank: Our New Right to Food Resource
Information about access food for marginalised communities in the UK
Enough to Live: René Cassin Signs Letter to the Prime Minister on Cost of Living Crisis
On 21 September 2022, over 50 faith, charity and organisational leaders signed an open letter to the Prime Minister,...
Ways you can help our Right to Food campaign
There are many steps you can take to help grow and support this initiative to improve the safety of vulnerable groups.
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