Campaign

Let’s get the right to food recognised!

Published on 26 Oct. 2026

In France, we can debate for hours over whether to use unsalted or salted butter in a recipe, or even whether the proper term for our favourite pastry is ‘pain au chocolat’ or ‘chocolatine’. But while these food-related squabbles are occupying our conversations, millions of people do not have access to sufficient, healthy, freely chosen food. Eating well should never be a privilege, so Action Against Hunger is taking steps to get the right to food recognised and calling on public authorities to act, so that this right can become a reality for all. To contribute towards these efforts, you can take action by signing the European Citizens’ Initiative for the recognition of the right to food.

I sign

In France, we have a highly personal relationship with food.

In France, there are few things that stir up as much passion as food does.

In France, we might even argue over whether merguez sausages should be pierced before grilling, or get into a discussion about cream in carbonara sauce or the criminal presence of pineapple on pizza.

However, in France, at least 8 million people are suffering from food insecurity.

We all have very fixed opinions on what should and should not happen at the dinner table. All the while, there is something actually important we should be outraged over.

Everyone should be able to eat properly. In the land of haute cuisine, millions of people do not have access to sufficient, healthy, sustainable and freely chosen food. This is not a luxury: it is a fundamental right.

What is the right to food?

According to Olivier de Schutter, who used to be the special rapporteur on the right to food for the United Nations Human Rights Council, the right to food is :

‘the right of every individual, alone or in community with others, to have physical and economic access at all times to sufficient, adequate and culturally acceptable food that is produced and consumed sustainably, preserving access to food for future generations’.

In other words: it is not JUST the right to eat until you are full,

It is the right to eat until you are full.
It is the right to know what you are eating.
It is the right to choose what you eat.
It is the right to eat without harming your health.
It is the right to eat well, regardless of where you live.
It is the right to eat without harming the planet.
It is the right to live off the land you cultivate.
It is the right to eat according to your culture, beliefs and faith.
It is the right to call for accountability if this right is not respected.
It is the right to take part in decisions that impact what is on your plate and on the plates of future generations.

Today, this right is not enshrined in writing in France. No law or section of the Constitution provides for the right to food, which makes it difficult to implement effectively across the country.

Food insecurity in France in figures:

Around 1 in 8 people in France, or an estimated 7 million adults in Metropolitan France, state that they sometimes or often go without food.
Among those aged 18–24, this proportion rises to 25%.
And the main cause? They cannot afford it: 80% of those who answered this way cited financial reasons.

Source: OpinionWay survey for Action Against Hunger, carried out online from 26 to 28 August 2026 among a sample of 1,053 people representative of the French population aged 18 and over, put together using the quota method (sex, age, socio-professional category, urban area and region of residence).

Add your signature to take action

In July 2025, the European Union officially registered a European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) to recognise the right to food as a fundamental human right in European law and in the public policies of EU member states. This ECI is called ‘Food is a human right for all! Guaranteeing healthy, just and sustainable food systems’.

Add your signature

This petition calls upon the European Commission to propose a legislative framework to guarantee:

The effective right to sufficient, healthy, culturally suitable, sustainable, financially accessible food.
Fair, sustainable, human, democratic food systems across all 27 member states, including France.

For the Commission to examine the request officially, the initiative must be backed by 1 million signatures within the EU by 31 December 2026.

Why sign a european text to establish a right to food?

The reason is simple: if this mobilisation works and gets enough people behind it, Action Against Hunger and its partners will be able to hold public powers to account and remind them of their duty to respect, protect and guarantee the right to food for all!

1. Respect

Public authorities must not adopt policies that prevent access to sufficient healthy food or weaken existing protections.

For example:

They must not encourage an agricultural and food model that harms people’s health and the planet.
They must not limit or place conditions on access to social assistance to the extent that this deprives people of the resources they need to cover their food needs.

2. Protect

Public authorities must protect citizens against the practices of certain private actors that threaten this right. For example, this can involve:

Monitoring food marketing and advertising, especially when aimed at children.
Guaranteeing nutritional transparency and mandatory labelling (Nutriscore).
Fighting against excessive profit margins and speculation on food prices.
Limiting the use of synthetic pesticides, chemical fertilisers or antimicrobial products.

3. Guarantee

Public authorities must create conditions in which everyone can eat properly, especially through the following measures:

Enshrining the right to food in law.
Making healthy food accessible.
Supporting sustainable agriculture in which farmers are paid properly.
Guaranteeing everyone the means to live in a dignified way, thanks to fair, non-discriminatory employment, salary and social protection policies that meet people’s needs.