international Status of Right to Food In Comparison With Indian Rules

 international Status of Right to Food In Comparison With Indian Rules 

Many women, men, and children who are malnourished suffer from 'severe hunger,' as defined by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This suggests that their daily calorie ratio is well below the bare minimum required for existence. On a daily basis, many people die of hunger. Malnutrition, commonly known as 'hidden hunger,' is characterised by insufficient calorie, protein, or nutritional consumption.

Thus, malnutrition entails undernourishment; nevertheless, it extends beyond the latter, since a person may obtain sufficient calories but insufficient nutrients. Malnutrition is less visible than famine because it does not garner media attention, yet it has no less catastrophic consequences for individuals who suffer from it.

Malnutrition can be passed down through generations, since many impoverished moms give birth to malnourished children. As a result, a vicious loop develops. The right to food is a human, legal, and well-defined right that obligates governments to address chronic malnutrition and undernourishment.

The availability, appropriateness, and accessibility of food are the three fundamental aspects of the right to food. Availability refers to the production of adequate food for current and future generations, and so includes the concepts of sustainability, or long-term availability, as well as environmental preservation.

Adequacy relates to a person's nutritional demands, which must be met not just in terms of quantity but also in terms of the nutritious quality of the food available. It also emphasises the significance of considering food's non-nutritive aspects, such as cultural or consumer issues. Economic accessibility means that the financial expenses of obtaining food for a sufficient diet do not jeopardise or jeopardise the fulfilment of other fundamental necessities (e.g housing, health, education).

Physical accessibility means that everyone, even physically vulnerable people like newborns and small children, the elderly, the physically crippled, the terminally sick, and anyone with chronic medical conditions, including the mentally ill, should have access to appropriate nourishment.

The Commission has held 'mis governance' resulting from acts of omission and commission on the part of public servants, to be the reason for starvation deaths occurring in different parts of the country. The Commission considered this situation to be all the more painful in view of granaries of the Food Corporation of India being over flowing. The Commission was of the view that the remedy provided under Article 32 of the Constitution applied to groups no less than to individuals. The Commission also found merit in the view of the petitioner that there was need for a paradigm shift in public policies and the Relief Codes in this respect.

The right to food does not entail that governments must provide free food to everyone who requests it, nor does it indicate that everyone must be nourished. However, if individuals are denied food due to circumstances beyond their control, such as incarceration, war, or natural catastrophes, the right requires the government to give food immediately.

Food is a fundamental human right. It safeguards everyone's right to a dignified life free of hunger, food instability, and malnutrition. The right to food is about ensuring that everyone has the ability to feed oneself in dignity, not about charity. The right to eat is protected by law. International human rights and humanitarian law safeguard the right to food, and the corresponding governmental duties are well-established in international law.

The right to food is recognised in several agreements, including article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). The mention of the right to food in various national constitutions is equally noteworthy.