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I find this advert troubling. It does not take £3 to feed 12 Mancunians in food poverty. It takes a generous, fair, humane society in which hunger is unacceptable and good food is a right and a priority. @RighttoFoodUK
It takes a change in how we perceive food, so we say, “Hunger is not acceptable,” and – better – “We have systems to prevent this.” @right2fooduk sustainweb.org/righttofood/. It takes @LivingWage incomes and an @DWP social security safety net that meets the actual cost of living.
It takes a culture that can't penalise people for being old or young; being ill; a single parent; having a disability, or with a caring role. It takes regulation of the cost of expensive necessities – water, energy, rent, transport – explicitly to protect household food budgets.
It takes cultivation of farming and food production with health, sustainability and accessibility as top priorities, supported by subsidies and farmer-friendly markets - one that balance the needs of ensuring farmers can make a living, whilst all citizens can afford good food.
It takes a recognition of the @right2fooduk in UK law, to shift the whole conversation away from charitable handouts, and towards people being able to afford to eat well, in perpetuity. In a time of #climatechange, this must also protect soil, water, bees...
We have left the issue of vulnerability, food security and sustainability to commercial forces for far too long, resulting in ubiquitous cheap, processed food, environmental damage and those people who cannot afford to participate in the market fed on left-overs.
The more I get into this, the more I understand we need transformational change, hence our @UKSustain focus on the Right to Food: sustainweb.org/righttofood/ - let's make decision-makers and purse-holders accountable for fixing #foodpoverty and not making rules that create hunger.
An advert kicked off this thread. To be fair and clear, I think @FareShare is doing an important job. Providing surplus food reduces the costs of running many frontline services. Charity is a kind response in unkind times. But to fix these times, we need the Right to Food.
Let's champion the Right to Food in the National @food_strategy - several political parties are recognising the Right to Food sustainweb.org/news/sep19_pol… and there's a growing citizen movement for change @FoodCities @FoodPowerUK - good food must be foundation for a better society.
Brought into stark reality by this: sustainweb.org/blogs/sep19_go… and a call to help secure food for vulnerable people in a no-deal Brexit food crisis here: sustainweb.eaction.org.uk/no_deal_no_meal
