Food Poverty: Food Poverty: a Rights Based a Rights Based - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Food Poverty: Food Poverty: a Rights Based a Rights Based Approach Approach

Elizabeth Dowler Elizabeth Dowler

Reg Public Health Nutritionist Reg Public Health Nutritionist

Senior Marie Curie Fellow UCD Senior Marie Curie Fellow UCD-

• EWI

EWI Department of Sociology Department of Sociology University of Warwick University of Warwick

elizabeth.dowler@warwick.ac.uk elizabeth.dowler@warwick.ac.uk

THE HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD THE HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD

right to food & nutrition; to be free from hunger right to food & nutrition; to be free from hunger

• 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights

• 1967 International Covenant on Economic, Social

1967 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (~ 156 ratified) and Cultural Rights (~ 156 ratified)

• 1981 International Code Marketing Breast

1981 International Code Marketing Breast-

• milk

milk Substitutes Substitutes

• 1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child

1990 Convention on the Rights of the Child

• 1996 Rome Declaration on World Food Security

1996 Rome Declaration on World Food Security

• 2004 FAO Committee on World Food Security

2004 FAO Committee on World Food Security Voluntary Guidelines on Right to Food Voluntary Guidelines on Right to Food

THE HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD THE HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD

• World Food Summit (Dec 1996)

World Food Summit (Dec 1996) →

→ UN High

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights consultation to Commissioner for Human Rights consultation to define rights related to food & how to define rights related to food & how to implement implement

• World Food Summit Five Years Later (2002)

World Food Summit Five Years Later (2002) →

→

International Code of Conduct International Code of Conduct

• practical guidance: Right to Food unit

practical guidance: Right to Food unit

( (http://www.fao.org/righttofood/about_en.htm http://www.fao.org/righttofood/about_en.htm) )

• challenges: monitoring violations, accountability

challenges: monitoring violations, accountability

• locates within a social justice framework

locates within a social justice framework

HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD

• ‘

‘rights’ framework differs from ‘goals’: rights’ framework differs from ‘goals’:

• imposes obligations, not recommended

imposes obligations, not recommended

• ptions
• ptions
• civil & political rights; international expertise

civil & political rights; international expertise in implementing in implementing

• implies a normative, rather than emergency,

implies a normative, rather than emergency, basis basis

• shifts from ‘basic

shifts from ‘basic-

• needs’ approach

needs’ approach ⇒

⇒

implications for national, international law; implications for national, international law; introduces accountability introduces accountability

HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD

states required to states required to respect, protect, fulfil respect, protect, fulfil food rights; non food rights; non-

• state actors’ responsibilities

state actors’ responsibilities

• state should not impede access to adequate

state should not impede access to adequate food food

• state should take measures to ensure

state should take measures to ensure individuals or enterprises (including corporate individuals or enterprises (including corporate actors) do not deprive people of access actors) do not deprive people of access

• state should strengthen people’s access to

state should strengthen people’s access to resources to ensure their means to a livelihood resources to ensure their means to a livelihood and food security and food security

food poverty: key issues food poverty: key issues

inability to acquire or eat adequate quality or inability to acquire or eat adequate quality or sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable sufficient quantity of food in socially acceptable ways (or uncertainty that one will be able to; at risk ways (or uncertainty that one will be able to; at risk

• f compromised behaviour)
• f compromised behaviour)

food security food security and entitlement and entitlement -

• people should

people should

• have access to food

have access to food – – able to grow, exchange or buy able to grow, exchange or buy food food – – enough money, able to reach shops stocking enough money, able to reach shops stocking foods needed for health at affordable prices foods needed for health at affordable prices

• enjoy the choice and eating

enjoy the choice and eating – – able to buy and share able to buy and share food that is safe, necessary, appropriate for a healthy food that is safe, necessary, appropriate for a healthy life and for the culture they live in life and for the culture they live in

• be free from anxiety about whether they will be able to

be free from anxiety about whether they will be able to eat properly eat properly

food security cont… food security cont…

• sustainable ways of obtaining food through

sustainable ways of obtaining food through purchase, production, gifting, earning purchase, production, gifting, earning

• sustainable ways and means of producing

sustainable ways and means of producing and distributing food; grounded in and and distributing food; grounded in and governed by just, equitable, moral, ethical governed by just, equitable, moral, ethical social values social values

• food is obtained in ways that uphold human

food is obtained in ways that uphold human dignity dignity

• solutions to problems are ‘joined up’

solutions to problems are ‘joined up’

food poverty: key issues food poverty: key issues

• food

food affordability affordability – – do people have enough do people have enough money to buy food? money to buy food?

• how to establish ‘enough money’?

how to establish ‘enough money’?

• how to value ‘appropriate’?

how to value ‘appropriate’?

• food

food access and availability access and availability – – can people get to can people get to shops selling the range of foods needed at shops selling the range of foods needed at reasonable prices? reasonable prices?

• food access through

food access through institutions institutions – – schools, schools, canteens, meals canteens, meals-

• on
• n-
• wheels, day centres

wheels, day centres

• food

food usage usage – – can people make appropriate can people make appropriate choices, prepare meals etc? choices, prepare meals etc?

living on low incomes/deprivation living on low incomes/deprivation

• many also

many also time poor time poor (caring, > 1 job, shift work) (caring, > 1 job, shift work)

• many

many indebted indebted, paying high interest rates , paying high interest rates

• rent, local taxes, fuel bills, children’s needs, debts,

rent, local taxes, fuel bills, children’s needs, debts, take priority take priority

• food is the ‘flexible item’ in the budget

food is the ‘flexible item’ in the budget

• ‘healthy food basket’ can cost more where poor

‘healthy food basket’ can cost more where poor people live than where richer live people live than where richer live

• many shops and services have vanished from

many shops and services have vanished from where poor people live where poor people live: often have little choice : often have little choice

• ‘cheap food’ is often least healthy

‘cheap food’ is often least healthy

• minimum wage, social assistance often

minimum wage, social assistance often insufficient; stigma from ‘free food’ insufficient; stigma from ‘free food’

food poverty food poverty -

• critical issues

critical issues

• responsibility for problems and solutions?

responsibility for problems and solutions? individual, state or private sector: individual, state or private sector:

• enable person to manage on social provision or

enable person to manage on social provision or minimum wage minimum wage – – budgeting/food knowledge ? budgeting/food knowledge ?

• retail outlets (superstores, inner city, e

retail outlets (superstores, inner city, e-

• tailing with

tailing with delivery) and economy lines available ? delivery) and economy lines available ?

• technological solutions?

technological solutions?

• structural aspects: access, availability & price,

structural aspects: access, availability & price, location and transport location and transport

• money needed to take part in society

money needed to take part in society

• livelihood protection; households + area

livelihood protection; households + area

HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD

• means as well as outcome/ends matter:

means as well as outcome/ends matter:

• human dignity

human dignity -

• enables

enables active participation active participation (not as object of intervention) (not as object of intervention)

• empowering

empowering – – enables enables ownership

• wnership of problem
• f problem

and potential solutions and potential solutions

• accountability

accountability – – independent bodies or independent bodies or tribunals/courts enables tribunals/courts enables transparency transparency

• challenge for

challenge for food poverty food poverty – – part of poverty part of poverty agenda or health inequalities? agenda or health inequalities?

• framed within social justice not reducing

framed within social justice not reducing costs costs

THE HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD THE HUMAN RIGHT TO FOOD

• states to

states to respect, protect, fulfil respect, protect, fulfil food rights food rights

• state should not impede access to adequate

state should not impede access to adequate food food

• state should take measures to ensure

state should take measures to ensure individuals or enterprises (including corporate individuals or enterprises (including corporate actors) do not deprive people of access actors) do not deprive people of access

• state should strengthen people’s access to

state should strengthen people’s access to resources to ensure their means to a resources to ensure their means to a livelihood and food security livelihood and food security

better school meals better school meals

• make food and nutrition compulsory in curriculum

make food and nutrition compulsory in curriculum

• improve nutritional standards from their present level;

improve nutritional standards from their present level; emphasise emphasise grilling and baking over frying (e.g. 1 item of grilling and baking over frying (e.g. 1 item of fried food per day) fried food per day)

• LEAs

LEAs to ensure all schools have a food policy: delivery to ensure all schools have a food policy: delivery healthy school meals, take healthy school meals, take-

• up, collaborative support

up, collaborative support from students, caterers, governors, parents from students, caterers, governors, parents

• ‘innovation grants’ e.g. to support schools in new

‘innovation grants’ e.g. to support schools in new systems such as ‘smart cards’ systems such as ‘smart cards’

• value catering staff more highly

value catering staff more highly – – pay and conditions pay and conditions

• train catering staff better, including in nutrition to

train catering staff better, including in nutrition to agreed national standard agreed national standard