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The importance of social protection measures in achieving Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2010, para. 20
- Paragraph text
- Numerous studies demonstrate that specific cash transfer programmes have been effective in working towards target 2 of the Millennium Development Goals: halving the number of persons suffering from hunger by 2015. For example, the Productive Safety Net Programme in Ethiopia, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India, the initiative "Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction: Targeting the Ultra-Poor" in Bangladesh and the Kalomo District Pilot Social Cash Transfer Scheme in Zambia have all improved nutritional levels. In a wide range of programmes and countries, there is strong evidence of a direct link between income supplementation and food consumption among beneficiary households. A number of countries have noted the possible role of school meal programmes and the distribution of food baskets in the achievement of significant gains towards the fulfilment of target 2.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2010
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 54
- Paragraph text
- The recurrent crises have taken an extremely harsh toll on the access of those living in poverty to food and nutrition, and limited food subsidies may be a blow that many are unable to bear. Policies that limit or eliminate food subsidies would seriously threaten the ability of States to ensure minimum levels of enjoyment of economic, social and cultural rights, particularly for the most vulnerable. These policies may also undermine other efforts to address the effects of the crises through, for example, investments in social protection systems. Higher food costs can have an adverse impact on social protection systems as a result of real losses in the value of cash transfers or income received through social protection.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Marginality of economic and social rights 2016, para. 25
- Paragraph text
- In the light of what appears to be the relatively common State practice of not giving explicit legislative recognition to individual economic and social rights, the most important question is whether legislation, or an equivalent form of legal instrument, can be dispensed with altogether by a State that claims to be fulfilling its obligations through other means. In practice, the argument will usually be that legislation has been adopted in relation to the issue or sector in question, and it is unnecessary for any reference to be made in that legislation to the relevant human right. In other words, to take the example of the right to food, the argument would be that it is sufficient that there is legislation in place that addresses food safety or food security, even though it reflects no explicit rights dimension. Or, in the case of the right to education, laws dealing with the establishment of educational institutions are considered sufficient, even if there is no acknowledgement that education is a human right.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Education
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 33
- Paragraph text
- The above-mentioned groups have suffered and continue to suffer the cumulative effects of previous crises and are in an increasingly weak and vulnerable situation. They have exhausted their coping mechanisms, such as eating fewer meals, cutting health expenditures, taking their children out of school and increasing working hours in the informal sector, and are left with very limited capacity for resilience. Their situation is further compounded by the current spike in food prices, which is forcing those living in poverty to buy even less expensive and less nutritious food.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Children
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- In recent years, food subsidies have become a common means of ameliorating the devastating effects of food scarcity and rising commodity prices on those living in poverty. The reduction of taxation on or subsidization of staple foods is aimed at providing immediate relief to those experiencing the most pressing forms of food insecurity. By providing access to a basic form of food security, food subsidies can limit the prevalence of hunger, increase consumption and improve nutrition in recipient households. Food subsidies also contribute to ensuring price stabilization and thus create greater food access for all. To this extent, they are one way in which States can ensure that they meet their obligations regarding the right to an adequate standard of living, including the right to food.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 59
- Paragraph text
- Increasing inequalities and food insecurity, the declining availability of natural resources and unpredictable changes to climate patterns are likely to increase the potential for social unrest throughout the world. Any recovery plan must anticipate these challenges and assume that there will be many more crises to recover from. What is needed, therefore, is human rights-based change that directly addresses the long-term structural barriers to equality and sets the foundations for a sustainable, socially inclusive society.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 62
- Paragraph text
- Reducing poverty and promoting social inclusion require not only comprehensive national strategies but also international collective action to ensure equitable international regulatory measures and international assistance and cooperation. Particularly pressing is the need to address widespread food insecurity and rising food prices. Strategies that support rural development, promote sustainable food production and reduce volatility in commodity markets must be a priority for States at both the national and international levels.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
The UN responsibility for the cholera outbreak in Haiti 2016, para. 35
- Paragraph text
- Second, the duties owed by the United Nations are directly analogous to those owed by a company or private property owner to ensure adequate waste management and to take adequate precautions to prevent spreading diseases.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Environment
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Water & Sanitation
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2016
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 85
- Paragraph text
- Enhancing regulation requires States to take collective action and to provide international assistance and cooperation (see paragraphs 94-99 below). It is critically important that States reach a consensus on regulatory actions to improve the functioning and transparency of financial commodity markets in order to curb financial speculation and excessive commodity price volatility, which directly affect the enjoyment of the right to food by those living in poverty.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 88
- Paragraph text
- The sheer surprise with which the most recent crises took the international community is telling not only of the rapidity of transmission of the crises, but of the inability of States to predict and prepare for shocks and to understand the multiple dimensions of poverty. In order to better inform policy debates on how best to prioritize the human rights of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged, States need to be able to identify them more accurately and efficiently and to assess their needs. To this end, States should work towards creating mechanisms that provide better information about the incidence and substance of deprivation and inequality. This includes instituting means of gathering larger quantities of better quality disaggregated data on the impact of the crises and of recovery policies. Data should be disaggregated according to several dimensions, such as gender, age, geographical location, ethnicity and health status. It is also crucial that, in the face of rising food prices, States monitor in a timely manner the development of local food prices in order to ensure prompt and appropriate policy responses.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Poverty
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Human rights based approach to recovery from the global economic and financial crises, with a focus on those living in poverty 2011, para. 52
- Paragraph text
- A considerable proportion of States has indicated that they plan to limit or eliminate food subsidies as part of their response to the crises. From a human rights perspective, the decision to limit food subsidies at a time when food prices are escalating drastically and there is still a pressing need for public food and nutrition support is extremely worrying.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Humanitarian
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Taxation and human rightss 2014, para. 48
- Paragraph text
- A well-placed tax threshold (namely, the income below which an individual or household is exempted from income tax) is also crucial for ensuring that the taxation system does not jeopardize the ability of people living in poverty to enjoy minimum essential levels of economic, social and cultural rights. Unfortunately, in some countries, households are required to pay tax before they earn enough to even meet minimum food basket requirements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Food & Nutrition
- Poverty
- Social & Cultural Rights
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 61
- Paragraph text
- An effective international framework is needed to hold the global food industry legally accountable for its actions. There is a need to create an international framework that binds States and casts responsibility on them to modify their domestic laws for reduction and prevention of diet-related NCDs. The Framework Convention on Tobacco Control could be used as a foundation on which an international framework for accountability and monitoring of the food and beverage industry can be built. The international community also needs to ensure that food corporations driven by commercial interests do not undermine the efforts of States to realize the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 12
- Paragraph text
- With respect to the availability and accessibility of nutritionally adequate and safe food, both the right to health and the right to food cast obligations on States. Under the right to health framework, States have a core and non-derogable obligation to ensure access to the minimum essential food that is nutritionally adequate to ensure freedom from hunger for everyone. Pertinently, the right to food framework requires States to ensure the availability and accessibility of food in a quantity and quality to satisfy the individuals' dietary needs, and which contain a mix of nutrients for physical and mental growth, development and maintenance, and physical activity that are in compliance with human physiological needs at all stages of life.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 67b
- Paragraph text
- [With a view to making accountability and remedial mechanisms available and accessible to victims of violations, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States take the following steps:] Encourage and promote independent monitoring of activities of the State and the food industry. Urge participation of affected people and local communities in monitoring such activities;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 44
- Paragraph text
- Low-income persons may also be more likely to live in "food deserts", where healthy fresh food options are lacking, or in "food swamps", where there is significantly greater presence of unhealthy foods and unhealthy food marketing. Healthy foods are frequently less available, of lower quality and attractiveness, or more expensive in low-income areas. Conversely, lower-income areas can have up to two and a half times as many fast food stores as higher-income areas. These problems are likely to be compounded by geographical barriers for remote rural communities, poorly served urban slums or where transport between lower-income and higher-income areas is poor.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 45
- Paragraph text
- Poor diets tend to have greater consequences for low-income persons than for other groups. Undernutrition early in life may lead to a greater probability of obesity later in life due to a "feast or famine" response that causes the body to hoard fat when it is available. This combination of lack of food security or hunger with the ready availability of calorie-dense junk foods places many low-income communities at particular risk of NCDs, compared to higher-income groups. Psychosocial factors such as stress, higher incidences of other NCD risk factors and less access to preventive care can also increase risks of diet-related diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and hypertension among low-income groups.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 19
- Paragraph text
- To reduce the intake of unhealthy foods, States should adopt policies to create disincentives for consuming them. For instance, some States have levied a consumption tax on sugar-sweetened beverages to curb the obesity epidemic, with the revenue raised from sales to be spent on providing drinking water. However, merely increasing the price of unhealthy foods may have a punitive effect on low-income groups. Reducing the price of nutritious food to levels cheaper than or comparable to unhealthy foods would make healthy foods more affordable. For instance, agricultural subsidies benefiting unhealthy foods could be removed and shifted to subsidies for increasing the production of healthier foods. States could take measures, such as tax benefits and focused investments in agricultural production, to incentivize farmers to produce healthier foods like vegetables and fruits (A/HRC/19/59).
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 7
- Paragraph text
- The 1980s "structural adjustment programmes" of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank compelled developing countries to open up their markets, including the food sector, to foreign trade as a part of loan fulfilling conditions. Agreements negotiated at the World Trade Organization sought further market integration by reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers to trade, curtailing export subsidies and removing protections of domestic industry to promote the freer flow of goods and services. These policies were implemented as a means of increasing the efficiency of the food system in producing the foods that people needed and wanted, but they had significant effects on the types of available foods and their costs. As a result, there has been a drastic increase in production of certain products relative to others. For example, there was a substantial increase in the global production of vegetable oils such as partially hydrogenated soybean oil, a source of trans-fats, and palm oil, a source of saturated fats. Similarly, grains such as corn are produced in larger quantities to cater to the food processing industry to produce sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup, substantially increasing global calorie consumption from such sweeteners (A/HRC/19/59, pp. 13-14). Studies show that countries adopting market deregulation policies experience a faster increase in unhealthy food consumption and mean body mass index, an indicator of obesity. In furthering the goals of market expansion and profits, critical focus areas of health such as diets and nutrition have not been given due consideration.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Economic Rights
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 53
- Paragraph text
- Accountability can also be ensured through indicators, benchmarks and targets against which the performance of State and non-State actors in achieving goals to reduce risk and prevalence of NCDs can be monitored and evaluated. As multiple agencies of the State may be involved in regulating activities of the food industry and the provision of nutritious food, information outlining their individual and joint efforts towards attaining the set benchmarks should be made public. Making information available to the public and independent monitoring bodies will enable them to assess the activities of the food industry and their compliance with domestic marketing, labelling and nutrition standards and laws. States should also encourage monitoring of other non-State actors such as private schools and broadcasting agencies to review their policy vis-à-vis the food industry. Review and evaluation of actions taken and standards adopted by States and non-State actors to ensure the sale and availability of nutritious foods comprise the accountability framework.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 32
- Paragraph text
- In furthering their responsibility to respect the right to health, the food industry should ensure the transparency of nutritional information and composition, an area where thus far the efforts of the food industry have been woefully lacking. The food industry should take concrete steps to ensure that consumers have sufficient nutritional information about their products to aid and promote more responsible dietary decisions. Moreover, creating and implementing mechanisms that promote disclosures of conflicts of interest within their governance structures can contribute towards efforts to ensure transparency of the operations of the food industry. This is of particular relevance where global health funders, who are also non-State actors, are shareholders or sit on the governance boards of the food industry or vice versa.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- N.A.
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 46
- Paragraph text
- In combating NCDs, States should therefore ensure that they comprehensively address socioeconomic disparities. They should ensure that food security or poverty reduction plans adequately address the need for healthier food options. They could do so, for example, by increasing availability of fruits and vegetables under food security schemes, incentivizing food retailers to stock healthy foods in low-income neighbourhoods or improving public transport to areas where healthy foods are available. In particular, social programmes aimed at ensuring food and nutritional security can be a useful tool for improving health, if they are sufficiently funded to allow for the purchase of healthy options and are combined with appropriate measures to provide nutrition education and make healthy foods available and accessible to those receiving benefits. Finally, States should work to eliminate inequities in access to primary and preventive care, to lessen the disproportionate effects of unhealthy foods on low-income communities.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 50
- Paragraph text
- States have an obligation to make legislative, judicial and administrative mechanisms available, accessible and effective to enable people to hold States and non-State actors accountable and claim remedies for violations of their right to health. Omission by States to legislate and enforce regulatory frameworks with respect to the food industry may in itself be a violation of the right to health. For instance, if the State fails to put into place laws requiring the provision and dissemination of information, people may not be in a position to make informed choices about their diet, which may prevent them from realizing their highest attainable standard of health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 64a
- Paragraph text
- [With a view to respecting, protecting and fulfilling the right to health, the Special Rapporteur recommends that States take the following steps:] Increase availability and accessibility of healthier food alternatives through fiscal and agricultural policies that discourage production of unhealthy foods. Also take measures to incentivize farmers to grow healthier products;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 21
- Paragraph text
- Accessibility of healthy foods may not necessarily lead to their higher intake. Even though foods with high nutrition value may be available in areas and spaces alongside less nutritious foodstuffs, consumers may not be attracted to the healthier option based on various factors such as perceived palatability or lack of visibility of healthier options and their benefits. Retail stores and supermarket chains may stock healthy foods, but lesser shelf-space may be allocated to them or they may be placed at the back of the store. This would have a negative effect on consumption patterns in favour of healthier foods. To rectify this, States could urge and require retailers to arrange their products in ways that would attract the consumer to healthier options. States could also promote healthier foods through media and social channels traditionally used by food and beverage companies, from television to Internet advertisements.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 31
- Paragraph text
- As the food industry plays a key role in the global food environment and is recognized as the primary driver of diet-related NCDs, it has a distinct responsibility to take steps to realize the right to health. While many challenges facing the food system, like environmental pressures such as draughts and floods, are out of the control of the food industry, there are several areas where it can make a positive impact on health by investing in and influencing healthier food choices. To this end, the industry should consider adopting standards to improve the nutritional quality of foods through product reformulation and to improve labelling and information on their products to contribute to healthier diets. The food industry should also invest in research to improve the nutritional content of their products rather than investing in increasing the marketability of existing products. Furthermore, supermarkets and fast food restaurants should take steps to market and promote healthier options. For example, in addition to providing calorie content of meals on menu cards, fast food restaurants should adopt appropriate nutrient profiling models that indicate the nutritional composition of the foods available.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
The right to health and development 2011, para. 19c
- Paragraph text
- [As the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has clarified, States have a core minimum obligation to ensure the satisfaction of minimum essential levels of the right to health under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), including:] Access to the minimum essential food which is nutritionally adequate and safe;
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2011
Paragraph
Effective and full implementation of the right to health framework, including justiciability of ESCR and the right to health; the progressive realisation of the right to health; the accountability deficit of transnational corporations; and the current ... 2014, para. 36
- Paragraph text
- Globalization and trade liberalization have allowed transnational corporations to gain greater and easier access to otherwise closed markets. Their increasing presence in the world economy has enabled them to influence international and domestic law-making and infringe upon States' policy space. They have influenced food consumption patterns and promoted the use of tobacco, especially in developing countries. They have also affected the rights of large communities with impunity, causing displacement, contamination of groundwater and loss of livelihood. They have directly perpetrated serious human rights violations, in particular in developing and least developed countries. They have thus seriously affected the laws, policies and social and economic environments of States and have violated the economic, social and cultural rights of individuals and communities, including the right to health.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Governance & Rule of Law
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 5
- Paragraph text
- The policies of globalization have played an important role in increasing the free flow of unhealthy foods between countries. Changes in the food system are now largely driven by transnational corporations (TNCs), including food and beverage companies and supermarket chains, which have altered diets from traditional and minimally processed foods to ultraprocessed ones. In fact, 75 per cent of the world's food sales constitute processed foods, whose largest manufacturers control more than one third of the global market. TNCs have therefore been a critical link in the transition from minimally processed to ultraprocessed foods. They also greatly influence the sale and consumption of unhealthy foods in comparison to promoting the availability and affordability of healthy foods within the food system.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph
Unhealthy foods, non-communicable diseases and the right to health 2014, para. 11
- Paragraph text
- The food industry spends billions of dollars on persistent and pervasive promotion and marketing of unhealthy foods. TNCs often enter into exclusive contracts with fast food outlets to sell their foods. Varied pricing strategies are used as a mechanism to elicit demand for unhealthy products. Supermarkets have also been found to provide more price discounts for unhealthy foods compared to healthy foods.
- Body
- Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health
- Document type
- Special Procedures' report
- Topic(s)
- Equality & Inclusion
- Food & Nutrition
- Health
- Person(s) affected
- All
- Year
- 2014
Paragraph