Food Inequality, Injustice, and Rights

Abstract

As humanity continues to grow in size, questions related to human rights and the existing unequal distribution of food resources have taken on greater urgency. Is inequality in food access unjust or a regrettable consequence of the geographic distribution of biophysical resources? To what extent are there obligations to redress inequalities in access to food? We draw from a human rights perspective to identify obligations associated with access to food and develop a quantitative framework to evaluate the fulfillment of the human right to food. We discuss the capacity of socioeconomic development to reduce inequalities in per capita food availability with respect to the distribution of biophysical resources among countries. Although, at the country level, international trade shows the capacity to reduce human rights deficits by increasing food availability in countries with limited food production, whether it actually improves the fulfillment of the right to food will depend on within-country inequality.

Prevalence of food security in the UK measured by the Food Insecurity Experience Scale

“…Prevalence of food insecurity is associated with socio-economic inequalities both between and within nations. 7 , 8 Indicators, such as a rise in demand for emergency food provision, 9 , 10 suggest that food insecurity may have been on the increase in the UK even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, early evidence indicates that COVID-19 may have exacerbated the situation in the short-term.…”

A Simulator to Determine the Evolution of Disparities in Food Consumption between Socio-Economic Groups: A Brazilian Case Study

“…The relationship between income inequality and food is fundamental, with strong moral and societal value [21,43]. To address income inequality, SDG 10 aims to achieve income growth of the bottom 40% of the population at a rate higher than the national average (Target 10.1), and encompasses other inequalities by targeting the socio-economic empowerment and political inclusion of all (Target 10.2).…”

“…Equality can be understood as equality in the minimum thresholds that allow the exercise of citizenship; in other words, equal rights serve as the basis for social pacts that reflect more opportunities for those who have the least [42]. Furthermore, a variety of economic and political considerations diverge in theorizing the role and importance of equality and, conversely, of inequality [43]. Equality is often discussed in terms of incomes, opportunities, wealth, achievements, rights, or other factors.…”

“…The multidimensional nature and the complexity of defining and measuring inequalities also add to the multitude of uses for the term inequality. Inequality can be measured on multiple scales of analysis, depending on the space in which different individuals, households, or countries, are to be compared [43].…”

Simulating the Cascading Effects of an Extreme Agricultural Production Shock: Global Implications of a Contemporary US Dust Bowl Event

“…Although food supply shocks are not always strongly coupled to commodity price changes, when a food supply shock does result in commodity price increases, poorer countries are at increased risk of food insecurity (Distefano et al, 2018). D'Odorico et al (2019) raise the concern about how, under unfair policies, international trade might aggravate cross-country food inequality, but also highlight the potential that international trade has to reduce this type of inequality and become an effective tool for the fulfillment of the global right to food.…”