Is Real Food a Human Right?
In April 2021 the UK parliament closed the debate on a petition to end child food poverty. That’s good. And action has been taken. However, most of the food being distributed in connection with addressing the issue is highly processed. It’s coming from the same mentality that has allowed industrial foods to creep into our public institutions and has resulted in an unprecedented public health crisis.
Of course no child should go hungry. But shouldn’t the goal be more ambitious — especially for a developed nation like the UK? How about: Every child should eat real food every day.
In order for that change to happen, one of the areas we need to pay more attention to is who cooks the meals we eat on a daily basis.
Shifting farm subsidies
If we want to ensure equitable access to real food, then another key area to look at is farm subsidies. The EU subsidises farms (including until recently, British farms) to the tune €400bn per year. Most of these subsidies end up with Big Ag, which has seen operations subsidised to the point where the input (grains) for factory farmed animal producers is purchased for less than the cost of production.
This is turn is a big part of the reason that ‘healthy food’ i.e. good produce has come to be seen as more expensive. How about subsidising re-generative farming and good food instead? In the UK it’s positive to see initiatives like the Sustainable Farming Incentive, and hopefully this marks the beginning of a fundamental shift for UK agriculture. However, the fact is that lots needs to be done here and in nations across the planet.
Read more: “Nearly all global farm subsidies harm people and planet”
Education
One the most obvious places for kids to learn about food and cooking is schools. Sadly, home economics is being slashed from the schedules of many UK schools because of budget cuts. For many under privileged kids, this could well be the only chance they had to learn about food. Cooking our own meals is an empowering activity. If kids don’t learn about proper food and cooking, then they are far more susceptible to industrialised foods and all the health conditions they come with.
There are already some great initiatives underway and they should be getting all the support they can. One such initiative is, School Food Matters, which aims to educate children about food and cooking in Schools.
Solutions — By 2025
Educate all children about food, farming and how to cook
Shift subsidies for Big Ag mono culture grain production and factory farmed meat to supporting regenerative farming.
Increase spend on catering in public institutions and put in place regulation to ban Ultra Processed Foods and factory farmed meat from menus in public institutions.
If real food is indeed a human right, we need to be putting on the long-term glasses, and invest today to ensure the next generation have the knowledge and and capabilities they need to make good food choices for themselves and for the planet.
We should insist on a future where food is never made in a way that exchanges long-term health and sustainability for short-term profits.