To mark World Food Day, the Department of Hospitality Tourism and Events Management , reflected on the vital work being done to advance the #RightToFood.
Dr Sinéad Furey, together with Beth Bell from the Food Ethics Council and Joy Alexander from Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), hosted a #RightToFood Breakfast Briefing - Taking the Right to Food Seriously: Partnership, policy and practice – on 16 October 2025 at the Academy Restaurant.
Why is the Right to Food important?
Article 25 of the United Nation’s Declaration of Human Rights clarifies how everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and wellbeing of himself and of his family, including food. It is this right that is gaining so much attention in terms of a group of practitioners, academics and NGOs (non-governmental organisations) with a particular interest in the right to food seeking to unpicking the complexities through collaboration, so that it is a robust, resilient lever for change. The social norm of three good meals per day should be within reach of every citizen. Unfortunately, one in nine (11%) of us in Northern Ireland has difficulty accessing and affording sufficient food and one in 25 Northern Ireland households reported accessing food banks in the previous 12 months.
Food Insecurity Research at Ulster University
Through interdisciplinary efforts, Ulster University is actively researching food poverty (also known as food insecurity) which is insufficient economic access to an adequate quantity and quality of food to maintain a nutritionally satisfactory and socially acceptable diet.
Dr Sinéad Furey has been researching food insecurity since 1998, focusing on its definition, measurement and mapping (with Life and Health Science colleagues) through an At Risk of Food Insecurity Index. Her work contributed to a Ulster University Business School impact case study for the last Research Excellence Framework. The right to food is also a key guiding principle of the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Food Strategy Framework.
Sinéad has worked with the voluntary and public sectors to co-design interventions to improve food accessibility and availability and in her capacity as Convenor of the Belfast Sustainable Food Partnership’s Food Access Working Group she is working with a committee of passionate colleagues to realise access to healthy, sustainable and affordable food.
Taking the Right to Food Seriously: Partnership, policy and practice
Our Breakfast Briefing identified that there are things we can do to connect people in a socially acceptable way to real food that is sustainable.
The #RightToFood and #FoodSecurity should be realised for everyone everywhere (#ZeroHunger) and Belfast City Council's Deputy Lord Mayor, Paul Doherty – who championed Belfast as a Right to Food city – put it succinctly:
“The right to food matters because people matter.”
A shared call to action was for the right to food to be funded properly and supported strategically through gathering the right evidence to make a real change that benefits society
Dr Sinéad Furey said:
“I am passionate about my longstanding work on food insecurity and truly invested in delivering a benefit to society to help to make people’s lives better on the ground. When many like-minded people come together to advocate for and champion food justice, real change becomes possible. Through partnership, policy and practice, we can make healthy, affordable food accessible for all, delivering Good Food For Everyone Forever.”
Professor Ioannis S. Pantelidis, Head of Department of Hospitality Tourism and Events Management, commented:
“The right to food is much more than an important principle that we should all uphold. It’s a promise we must deliver each day. Our colleagues' research and practice in this field, led by Dr Furey, reflects the ethos behind the extraordinary impact our team continues to make, driving change and inspiring compassion across communities. I am deeply proud of the unwavering commitment and transformative work we deliver year after year, ensuring dignity and hope for all.”
Our impact
The breakfast briefing served to support people to make important connections and talk meaningfully about food through involving people from the outset on decisions that impact them. There was a call for people to remember the joy of food and ensure that everyone can participate in this simple pleasure. This means addressing the income insufficiency issue and adopting a systemic approach to fix a compromised food system. We need to realise the right to quality food by winning hearts and minds and ensuring its full consideration in policy making.
Dr Sinéad Furey adds:
“We look forward to continuing to lead this issue at the Department of Hospitality Tourism and Events Management in partnership with our coalition of the willing comprising policymakers and practitioners while ensuring that the voices of the lived experience are communicated accurately, powerfully and impactfully as we end the blight of food poverty on society.”
