The theme of World Food Day 2024 - “Right to foods for a better life and a better future” - calls for bold thinking and innovation, urging governments to do more to promote food diversity, nutrition, affordability and safety at all times. Such a theme is timely as the new Labour government recently emphasised the importance of addressing the rising cost of food prices, reducing food insecurity, and supporting British farmers as a vital part of the UK’s national development agenda.
In 1948, the Right to Food was enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 25). Then, in 1966, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (Article 11) further recognised this Right, extending it to ensure that everyone has the right to a decent standard of living, including access to adequate and nutritious food and the fundamental right to be free from hunger. The UK Government, as a signatory of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, has a duty to secure the right to adequate food for everyone in the UK. However, end-of-year data from the Trussell Trust highlights that over 3.1 million people in the UK were forced to use one of their networked foodbanks last year (March 2023-April 2024), indicating that levels of income are not keeping pace with the cost of living. As a result, many people are being denied the Right to a hunger-free life.
To ensure the right to diverse, nutritious, and affordable food for all, now and in the future, the UK Government must consider implementing a Universal Basic Income (UBI). A UBI is a policy whereby all residents of all ages would receive an unconditional and regular income. It is paid to every resident as a right without them having to do anything to receive it. The money provided is substantial and sufficient for an individual to live a dignified life in society. Its implementation could help unlock economic and physical accessibility to diverse, safe, culturally appropriate and nutritious food for individuals and families. This would help realise the Rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Hence, considering such bold action is prudent.
This winter, people across the UK will be fearful. Costs of living are increasing again, with the recent energy price cap rise, the winter fuel allowance being cut for many pensioners, and the two-child tax benefits in place adding to this. The average household energy bill is now predicted to be £1,717, an increase of £150 on 2023 energy costs. With lower levels of disposable income, this increase in energy costs will exacerbate household food insecurity levels as low-income households already spend a larger proportion of their income on covering the costs of basic necessities. A UBI, paid at a suitable level, would allow people to make better economic choices about food and nutrition, leading to healthier lives and better outcomes. It could also go some way to support local businesses and boost local economies by increasing purchasing power. For British farmers, a basic income could form part of the solution to making farming a viable livelihood. Regular payments to farmers could support basic health and housing essentials while supporting long-term future investments in food business ventures, tools and supplies.
Basic income schemes have been implemented in other countries and have had positive results. In Canada, where a basic income experiment was conducted in Ontario in 2017, 4000 low-income people received an unconditional monthly benefit that was significantly higher than what was being paid by other social security programmes (e.g., disability support). With the additional income from the pilot, participants reported being able to afford healthier and higher-quality food while also having lower levels of stress and worry. In 2016, Finland piloted a basic income with 2000 unemployed people, with improvements reported in mental well-being. While cash-first approaches, such as these, have garnered support from anti-poverty charities, such as The Trussell Trust and the Independent Food Aid Network, political support is necessary both in the near and long term.
We therefore encourage the Starmer government to be bold. While we know that several MPs in the UK are supportive, including Ian Bryne, who leads the Right to Food Campaign, there needs to be cross-party or, at the very least, a governmental exploration of implementing a UBI. The Welsh Basic Income pilot has already shown that such bold action is possible in the UK. In 2022, the Welsh government launched an ambitious pilot to give young care leavers more independence, security, control over their lives and a sense of empowerment to make decisions about their future. While the pilot's food-related outcomes are still pending, the Wales pilot shows that a basic income can be successfully implemented in the UK context.
World Food Day serves as a reminder that we have not yet fulfilled our obligations to ensure everyone everywhere has access to the food they need. The time is ripe for the government to take bold action with an innovative and rights-based approach. A UBI can work alongside other social policies, such as housing and welfare reform and legal action, by incorporating this right into domestic law.
While a UBI is not a panacea, it can bring the UK closer to addressing the critical and longstanding gaps in our welfare system and help realise the right to diverse, nutritious, affordable and safe food for all.
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