Do We Need a Legally Enforceable Right to Food? 

Tuesday 16 November 2021

Online event

To register for this free event please click here

The UK’s food poverty rate is among the highest in Europe. According to a report from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee, nearly six million adults and 1.7 million children were struggling to get enough food between September 2020 and February 2021. The Committee also urged the Government to consult on a ‘right to food’ in England, echoing calls by NGOs and campaigners who want to see more action to tackle food insecurity.

This panel will bring together a range of speakers to share their experiences and discuss the concept of a “right to food”, whether having such a legally enforceable mechanism would help to tackle food poverty in Britain, how it could be enforced, and broader questions around socio-economic rights in the UK.

Panel:

Professor Geraldine van Bueren QC, Doughty Street

Dee Woods, Granville Community Kitchen and the Food Ethics Council

Clive Baldwin, Human Rights Watch

Other panellists to be confirmed

The panel discussion will be followed by closing remarks by Yasmine Ahmed (UK Director of Human Rights Watch) and audience Q&A

This online event is kindly co-hosted by Human Rights Watch, authors of a 2019 report entitled “Nothing Left in the Cupboards: Austerity, Welfare Cuts, and the Right to Food in the UK”, available to read here: https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/report_pdf/uk0519_web3.pdf