Follow Us on Google
• UN expert seeks rights-based approach to food security
Governments, agribusinesses and other stakeholders have been warned against food fraud. They are warned that efforts to boost food production must not come at the expense of human rights. Instead, they should adopt rights-based and sustainable approaches to food security.
Chairperson, United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights, Professor Damilola Olawuyi, made the call while presenting a report, “Agribusiness, Food Security and Human Rights” at the 62nd Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.
The report examined how governments, businesses, investors and other actors in the food and agribusiness sector can design and implement food security programmes that combat food fraud, promote food justice and align with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
Olawuyi said: “As countries and investors ramp up food security investments to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 on Zero Hunger and address rising food prices, there is an urgent need to ensure that such initiatives do not trigger human rights violations.”
He identified risks such as land grabbing, environmental pollution, food waste and food fraud, including food adulteration, misleading labelling, fraudulent packaging, seed theft, abuse of food assistance programmes and illicit trade in food products as major concerns requiring stronger legal and policy safeguards.
He urged governments and businesses worldwide to leverage the growing momentum for investment in agriculture to build sustainable food value chains that deter and penalise food fraud: “International law has key roles to play in ensuring the safety and sustainability of the food we eat.
“People want to be sure that when they purchase food, it is not adulterated, wrongly labelled or carrying misleading claims about its environmental sustainability.
“This report provides timely and practical legal insights to help agribusinesses, investors, policymakers, scholars and institutions navigate these complex realities while supporting more resilient and sustainable food systems that advance the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind.
“The planning, financing and implementation of food security programmes must not create new forms of human rights abuses. Human rights must be placed at the heart of global efforts to advance food security and sustainable food systems in ways that promote food affordability, combat food fraud and advance food justice in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.”
He called for inclusive policies that enable smallholder farmers to access finance, technology and training needed to participate effectively in agricultural value chains: “Businesses and investors should integrate human rights into their corporate policies and risk management frameworks. There is need for stronger coordination among governments to mainstream human rights standards into food security, climate and sustainable development strategies.”
Olawuyi warned against greenwashing and deceptive food marketing practices, including misleading claims about food origin, environmental footprint, production methods and processing. He advocated clear, credible and transparent food labelling to protect consumers and strengthen confidence in food systems.
Emphasising the importance of education and capacity building, he said higher education institutions, civil society organisations, indigenous peoples and human rights defenders have a crucial role to play in helping businesses identify, prevent and address human rights risks in food and agribusiness value chains.
