Why the right-to-food is a feminist issue? The centrality of feminised, racialised and classed care work in food systems

This submission argues that an effective and just Right to Food in the UK must adopt a feminist social reproduction lens that integrates the entire food system—from production conditions to consumption and care. Current policy frameworks, which separate food consumption from labour and environmental
sustainability, perpetuate exploitation and shift costs onto workers, vulnerable communities, and ecosystems. A redesigned framework must therefore recognise the full spectrum of food-related labour and treat food provisioning as a public good in order to deliver an equitable system. The analysis draws on a review of national-level policy and actor mapping across food, care, and labour
strategies, alongside three participatory workshops involving over 30 stakeholders. Together, these reveal a fragmented policy landscape lacking a cohesive vision, with the primary point of overlap between sectors limited to obesity prevention. Workshop evidence further demonstrates that unpaid, underpaid, and paid caring labour is embedded throughout food systems. As one participant observed, its ubiquity is akin to “water for a fish”—essential yet often invisible, and therefore difficult to value. In response, the submission advances three interlinked principles—care, labour rights, and environmental protection—grounded in feminist approaches to food systems. These principles provide a foundation for rethinking the Right to Food in the UK, ensuring that it addresses the structural inequalities and hidden labour that sustain contemporary food systems.