The University of Westminster collaborated with Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne to host the first Right to Food UK Conference, bringing together policymakers, politicians and other leading voices to tackle hunger and malnutrition. The conference announced the launch of a forthcoming UK Right to Food Commission featuring Westminster’s Dr Regina Murphy Keith and Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning as technical advisors.
The landmark conference, which took place at the University of Westminster on 13 September, addressed the UK’s deepening food insecurity crisis and its impact on public health, particularly among children and families. The event was organised by students and co-leaders of Westminster’s Global Public Health Nutrition (GPHN) MSc programme, Dr Regina Murphy Keith and Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning, in collaboration with Ian Byrne MP, and brought together politicians, academics and key figures in the Right to Food movement to bring about systemic change.
The Right to Food Campaign is led in Parliament by Byrne, who works with a range of local and national organisations and community campaigns to enshrine the right to food in Law and end food poverty in the UK. Westminster’s GPHN course has worked closely with the campaign, including embarking on a five-city trek to support the Right to Food across the UK, hosting the World Public Health Nutrition Congress 2024 and producing a documentary film about the fight against food insecurity.
Dr Regina Murphy Keith (front left) and Dr Sharon Noonan-Gunning (front right) with Ian Byrne’s team and Westminster students
After a welcome to Westminster from Dr Noonan-Gunning, the day’s events kicked off with a session titled Hunger is a Political Choice: Changing the Narrative, which was led by Byrne. Following a series of discussions from some of the field’s leading academics, Byrne handed over to Professor Barrie Margetts, Chair of the forthcoming Right to Food Commission, to deliver a keynote speech to publicly introduce the commission.
Next up were four panel sessions on transforming the food system, each focusing on a different strategy for change. Topics discussed included community-level social protection, power and dignity in the food economy, food sovereignty and food democracy, and human rights and holding governments to account. Each discussion showcased a range of voices including politicians, academics and not-for-profit CEOs, such as MP for Coventry South Zarah Sultana and MP for Poplar and Limehouse Apsana Begum.
Attendees then enjoyed an array of films and stalls throughout the lunch break before gathering again for the afternoon’s opening plenary on Building a Social Movement for the Right to Food: Unity, Solidarity and Care. This featured talks from Sarah Wooley, President of the Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), and Ian Sinha, Consultant Respiratory Paediatrician at Alder Hey Hospital.
The next set of sessions focused on how to restore dignity against trauma, moral injury and stigma and how to organise amongst the grassroots and civil society. For example, Councillor Paul Doherty, Deputy Mayor of Belfast City Council and founder of FoodStock, shared his work towards achieving Right to Food City status in Belfast. Dr Murphy Keith also shared her research into the need to disrupt present power systems to ensure no policies or plans are created without the voices of the community, including how the NHS ten year plan and the UK Right to Food Commission offer opportunities to ensure lived experiences are fed into these national strategies.
The event finished with a closing session with Byrne, Dr Noonan-Gunning and Professor Margetts, who reflected on the conference and discussed next steps for the Right to Food Commission. Attendees then had the opportunity to further reflect and plan action over a networking reception.
Members of the conference team from Westminster’s GPHN MSc programme
Ian Byrne MP said: “Hunger is a political choice. And because it’s man-made, it can be unmade. Politics and policies can change lives. We must also challenge the toxic narrative that blames immigration for society’s problems, including hunger and poverty. Immigration is not the issue. The real issue is that in the sixth wealthiest nation on earth, millions of people - many in work - cannot afford to eat. That’s certainly obscene. But it’s not inevitable.”
Dr Noonan-Gunning, Senior Lecturer in Global Public Health Nutrition and Chair of Right To Food London, said: “The right to food is a cornerstone of public health. It is fundamental to ending hunger and malnutrition and is needed for food and nutrition security at national and household levels. By integrating the right to food into all policies, it can support the growth of strong local food economies that promote health and address health inequalities within our communities.
Emeritus Professor of Medicine at the University of Southampton and Chair of the Right to Food Commission Professor Margetts commented: “Food security isn’t just about availability, it’s about affordability, accessibility and time. The food exists, but it’s priced out of reach for so many now. The global food system makes unhealthy food cheap and nutritious food expensive, while wages stagnate and rents soar. The Commission will explore these issues, as well as many more, and develop practical plans to deliver the campaign’s five key demands.”
Dr Murphy Keith, Royal College of Nursing (RCN) fellow, nurse midwife and Reader at the University of Westminster, added: “At last year’s World Public Health Nutrition Conference, 700 delegates from 66 countries agreed that ‘With almost ten million UK citizens suffering from food insecurity, we need to ensure that present policies and power dynamics are challenged, to ensure the voices of communities and health and nutrition workers are sought and acted upon. Communities need to be put back in the centre of food and health system policies and planning, and the food industry needs to be distanced from policy fora’. This year’s conference provides an opportunity to bring UK lessons learnt to feed into the new UK Right to Food Commission to move promises to action."
The Right to Food Conference and Commission contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2: Zero Hunger, 3: Good Health and Wellbeing and 10: Reduced Inequalities. Since 2016, the GPHN course has aligned it teaching to the UN SDGs, and the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions since 2019, to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about studying Nutrition and Public Health at the University of Westminster.
