View access to healthy, nutritious food as basic human right

Food security - WB

The summit was organised by Food Tank, Farmer’s Fridge and UNGC Local Network Food and Agriculture Initiative in Chicago, the USA on August 2. The report on the summit noted the roles of the federal and state governments, community organisations and non-profits plus role of the businesses in ensuring access of eaters to healthy and nutritious food.   

The report noted, many Americans lack access to nutritious, diverse, culturally relevant, and delicious foods, as well as the resources they need to make healthy choices. Participants unanimously agreed that access to healthy and diverse food must be considered a basic human right. They discussed approaches to end food apartheid, or systemic segregation and policies that have led to inequitable access to affordable, nutritious foods. Food injustice disproportionately impacts black, Indigenous, and people of color in the United States and afflicts both urban and rural areas communities. As noted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, roughly 18.8 million people—more than 1 in 6 Americans—live in low-income areas located between one and ten miles from a supermarket. However, this statistic only takes into account proximity to retailers and does not account for the quality of food purchased. Only 10 percent of people eat enough fruits and vegetables and poor nutrition is a leading cause of illness, associated with more than half a million deaths each year.

Panelists agreed that blame is erroneously placed on communities for failing to make healthy food choices when, in reality, historical disinvestment in local food systems has ingrained generations of unhealthy habits. For that reason, bringing more grocery stores into these regions will not address the root cause or create lasting change. Instead, we must focus on creating entire ecosystems around healthy food, including education, infrastructure, mutual aid, and capital that supports every step of the food chain. Participants discussed the need for decision-makers to bring people from underserved communities to the table to reach resolutions rooted in lived experience—because those who are most impacted are most likely to drive creative, innovative, and lasting solutions. Lawmakers should also get to the block level to better understand how nuanced the issue can be from neighborhood to neighborhood.

We have to start by defining what “healthy” looks like. Attendees emphasized the need for a comprehensive and holistic definition of “healthy food” that takes environmental factors into account. They recommended prioritizing minimally processed foods made with whole ingredients and incorporating sourcing standards into dialogue around healthy eating. Participants agreed that we should know where food comes from, and that it should be both seasonal and organic. In one breakout panel, attendees discussed how community environments have to support healthy choices and that many Americans’ lifestyles are not set up to nourish them in a balanced way. For every fast food joint, there should also be a farmer’s market—so that community members can enjoy healthy treats without being harmed over time.

The Role of Food Businesses Supply Chain Transparency: Attendees pressed businesses to shift away from prioritizing profits over people. Panelists discussed the need for more transparency, which can help bring more efficiency to the supply chain, thereby lowering costs and curbing food waste. Transparency also means more visibility into sourcing standards and wages, which helps to foster a more equitable food system. In a breakout conversation, attendees also discussed the need for more businesses that connect buyers to growers and fishers, while also providing traceability technology.

Buyer Contracts: Participants advocated for more cooperative models. They also encouraged buyers to commit to longer-term contracts with farmers, which provides more market certainty and enables farmers to shoulder more risk.

Additionally, they urged buyers, like restaurants, to source locally and prioritize fresh, seasonal ingredients. Doing so not only supports local farmers, but also increases patrons’ access to nutritious ingredients.

Certifications: In multiple conversations, participants spoke about the need for businesses to establish and adopt more meaningful certifications for produce beyond USDA Organic, Fair Trade™, and Rainforest Alliance Certified™. Employee

Welfare: Panelists also voiced strong support for unions and for livable wages that allow workers to afford healthy food.

By creating healthy, vibrant local food systems, we can provide more equitable access to nutritious food that improves overall well-being, curbs diet-related disease, and brings greater wealth into underserved communities. We need to align on a holistic definition of the word healthy.

Increasing access to fresh and minimally processed food will only be made possible through simultaneous public, nonprofit, and private-sector collaboration—and these efforts must focus heavily on regions afflicted by historical disinvestment.

As another overall theme, we must invest in infrastructure that creates healthy food ecosystems and helps local businesses thrive. This includes better-supporting food businesses like co-ops, grocery stores, processing facilities, and farms.

On the whole, policymakers also need to prioritize better assisting farmers, particularly small and underrepresented farmers, in both rural and urban environments, to bring more diverse specialty crops to local communities.

Federal and local governments can also leverage public procurement to support local growers and provide more nourishing food to communities.

Consumer education through a combination of school curricula, community programs, food packaging, and corporate advocacy will also help promote and sustain healthy choices, the report adds.