Degree of legal recognition of the right to food

Definition

Policies are classified based on the FAOLEX database five-group typology as: 1) Explicit protection of the right to food or directive of state policy. 2) Some other implicit recognition, codification of international statues, or other pertinent provisions. 3) None: countries with no policies catalogued in the FAOLEX database.

Relevance

Indicates a government’s recognition that guaranteeing food security to its citizens is one of its main responsibilities. As a human right, governments have duties to protect and fulfil this right, and the citizens have entitlements to be free from hunger and food insecurity.

Additional Information

Recommended citation: FAO. n.d. The Right to Food around the Globe. In: FAO. https://www.fao.org/right-to-food-around-the-globe/constitutional-level-of-recognition/en/ and Schneider, K.R., Fanzo, J., Haddad, L. et al. 2023. The state of food systems worldwide in the countdown to 2030. Nat Food 4, 1090–1110. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-023-00885-9