Right To Food UK Commission
The Right To Food UK Commission, announced in September 2025, will interrogate and report on the scale and scope of food poverty and hunger in the UK today.
The Commission will be based out of the UK Parliament and take evidence from around the UK. It has been established jointly by the Right To Food Campaign, which is led in Parliament by Ian Byrne MP for Liverpool West Derby, the University of Westminster, the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU) and the Food and Work Network.
The Right To Food UK Commission was formally launched in Parliament on 17th November 2025.
The Right To Food UK Commission launched in Parliament on 17 November 2025 Photograph credit: Alexandra Sutton
The work of the Commission - what we are doing
The objective of The Right To Food UK Commission is to shine a light on the unacceptable nature of food insecurity in Britain, map out solutions to endemic food insecurity and apply pressure on the UK Government, devolved administrations and politicians and policy makers in all UK jurisdictions, to tackle and end food insecurity in the UK.
Specifically, the commission will produce a roadmap for the implementation of a Right to Food law in the UK, the aim of which is to support a programme of work and actions to end hunger in the UK by 2035, with an interim objective of halving the number of people experiencing food insecurity by 2030.
After formally launching in Parliament on 17th November 2025, the Commission will hold its first evidence session in Liverpool in January 2026, followed by sessions in Belfast, Newcastle, Glasgow, Cardiff, and London. Each session will be preceded by a citizen’s assembly.
The Right to Food Commission will consider:
The extent and nature of food insecurity across the UK, including the various nations and regions and specific localities
The effects of malnutrition and food insecurity on public health outcomes in the UK
The impact of current labour market conditions, welfare provision, and asylum/immigration policy as drivers of food insecurity
The role of public policy frameworks in tackling food insecurity – and the potential for interventions by Central Government, devolved national and regional bodies, directly-elected Mayors and local authorities
How to ensure support and investment for collective community-based food initiatives
How best to legislate for an effective and enforceable statutory Right to Food.
The considerations above will be framed around the five demands of the Right To Food campaign:
1. Universal Free School Meals – Free school meals for all children
2. Transparency on Food Costs in Wages and Benefits – Government must reveal how food costs are used in wage and benefit calculations
3. Independent Enforcement – Create a regulatory body to ensure government accountability
4. Community Kitchens – Fund community dining and meal programmes
5. Ensured Food Security – Integrate food security into all policy areas
UK Right to Food Commissioners
Chair:
Barrie Margetts, Emeritus Professor, University of Southampton
Vice Chairs:
Ian Byrne, Member of Parliament for Liverpool West Derby
Sarah Woolley, General Secretary, Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union
Commissioners:
Kemi Akinola, Deputy Leader Wandsworth Council
Angela Carriedo, RD, MSC, PHD. Policy Sec WPHNA, Lecturer, Aston University, Consultant, Public Health Nutrition and Policy
Baroness Shami Chakrabarti, Barrister and Human Rights activist
Jen Clark, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Director, Amnesty International
Alex Colás, Professor, Birkbeck College, University of London
Paul Doherty, Deputy Lord Mayor, Belfast City Council
Daniel Kebede, General Secretary, National Education Union
Regina Murphy Keith, Reader, University of Westminster
SallyAnn Kelly, Former Chief Executive, Aberlour Children’s Charity
Kevin Morgan, Professor, Cardiff University
Sharon Noonan-Gunning, Senior Lecturer, University of Westminster
Ian Sinha, Professor & Respiratory Consultant, Alder Hey Children’s Hospital Trust & University of Liverpool
Commissioners outlining the work of the Right To Food UK Commission - Parliament, November 2025 Photograph credit: Alexandra Sutton
Media coverage of the Right To Food UK Commission:
Ian Byrne says 'I'm truly sorry' as landmark campaign is launched - Liverpool Echo
www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/ian-byrne-says-im-truly-32888004
Campaigner Paul wins place on new food poverty panel - Belfast Media
https://belfastmedia.com/campaigner-paul-wins-place-on-new-food-poverty-panel
Putting human rights on the table: launch of the Right to Food Commission - Just Fair
https://justfair.org.uk/putting-human-rights-on-the-table-launch-of-the-right-to-food-commission/
People are going hungry: Belfast’s deputy Lord Mayor appointed to UK-wide anti-food poverty commission – The Irish News
University of Westminster partners with Ian Byrne MP to launch Right to Food UK Commission in Parliament - University of Westminster
Hunger is a political choice. Could a Right to Food change everything? - Big Issue
www.bigissue.com/opinion/right-to-food-hunger-politics/
BASW & SWU back UK Right to Food Commission - The British Association of Social Workers (BASW)
BASW & SWU back UK Right to Food Commission
Right to Food UK Commission launched - Labour Hub
