Introduction: Hunger and the Right to Food

From Food Mail to Nutrition North Canada: Reconsidering federal food subsidy programs for northern Ontario

“…According to Jean Ziegler, the right to food "protects the right of all human beings to live in dignity, free from hunger, insecurity and malnutrition. The right to food is not about charity, but about ensuring that all people have the capacity to feed themselves in dignity" (Ziegler, 2015). Moreover, it is a right clearly protected under international law: article 25 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (Ziegler, 2015).…”

“…The right to food is not about charity, but about ensuring that all people have the capacity to feed themselves in dignity" (Ziegler, 2015). Moreover, it is a right clearly protected under international law: article 25 of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights and article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (Ziegler, 2015). In Canada, studies have found that the prevalence of food insecurity was sixty percent of First Nations children in northern Manitoba households, seventy percent of adults living in Nunavut, and seventy percent of households in a remote community in northern Ontario (Skinner et al, 2014;De Schutter, 2012, p. 16).…”

Barriers to Overcoming Child Hunger and Malnutrition: Applying a Human Rights Approach to Improve Policy and Action

“…Recognizing limitations in food security-focused approaches, scholars and law experts have proposed grounding food and nutrition policy and programs on human rights, rather than on a food security aim [ 10 – 13 , 16 – 18 ]. This is because international human rights law recognizes adequate food as a human right essential for the enjoyment of all human rights and establishes clear correlated obligations [ 16 – 23 ].…”

“…12 of the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) (GC12 hereafter) defines the RtAF as the right of every person, alone and in community with others, to have permanent physical and economic access to adequate food or means for its procurement [ 22 ]. GC12 establishes correlative state obligations to respect, protect, and fulfill the RtAF, which are not about charity, but about ensuring that everyone can feed themselves in dignity [ 18 , 22 ]. Conversely, no international law instrument defines food security or establishes correlated state obligations [ 23 ].…”