Today, the UK Right to Food Commission launches in Parliament- a landmark step to put the human right to food back on the national agenda.

After years of austerity, millions now rely on food banks and emergency aid. What should have been a temporary crisis response has become routine. Hunger is not inevitable – it is the result of political choices.

Chaired by Professor Barrie Margetts (University of Southampton), with Ian Byrne MP and Sarah Woolley (BFAWU) as Vice-Chairs, the Commission is jointly established by the Right to Food Campaign, University of Westminster, BFAWU, and the Food and Work Network.

Spotlight on food insecurity

Over the next year, six evidence sessions will hear from experts, community groups, and people with lived experience of hunger and poverty. These will examine the scale of food insecurity, its impact on health and child development, and the economic and policy drivers behind it – from insecure work to welfare reforms.

Alongside, People’s Assemblies across the UK will give communities a direct voice, building momentum for a Right to Food law and grounding recommendations in people’s lived reality.

Why it matters

Access to food is a human right, not a matter of charity. Fourteen years of austerity have normalised hunger in one of the world’s richest countries.  This is unacceptable.

For too long, the conversation about food insecurity has focused on crisis management rather than prevention. This Commission offers a chance to reframe that conversation, to recognise that the state has an obligation to ensure everyone can afford nutritious, adequate food, and to explore how this can be enshrined in law.

By gathering evidence, amplifying lived experience and exploring practical legislative routes, the Commission will play a vital role in holding power to account and shaping a fairer food system. Its final report, due ahead of the 2026 party conference season, will come at a crucial moment for influencing the UK’s political agenda.

At Just Fair, we welcome this initiative as an important step toward embedding the right to food in UK law.

Hunger in the UK is not caused by scarcity but injustice. The Commission’s work is a chance to turn lived experience into lasting change, to move from charity to rights, and to demand accountability from those in power. No one should go hungry in a country with the means to feed everyone.

The right to food must be guaranteed in UK domestic law.

Background image by Milena Filipova