Affordable food is a human right

A community group has taken its fight to secure a supermarket for its area to the United Nations.  

The Castlemilk Housing and Human Rights Lived Experience Board, based on the southside of Glasgow, has been battling for a supermarket to serve the 14,000 strong community for more than six years.   

The board was set up by Ardenglen, Craigdale, Cassiltoun and North View Housing Associations to promote housing as a human right and what that means for people’s everyday lives living in the area.   

Now it has presented its case for access to affordable food to the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Geneva, three years after Glasgow City Council told residents to expect an imminent announcement of a ‘household name’ supermarket for Castlemilk.  

This followed the awarding of money from the council to progress the building of a supermarket in Castlemilk.

So far however, there is still no sign of progress. The right to good quality, affordable food is set out in Article 11 of the UN Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.  

Chair of the Lived Experience Board, Anna Stuart said: ‘We are pleased the committee acknowledges the increasing food insecurity and limited access to affordable and nutritious food, which disproportionately affect low-income households.  

“We welcome the Committee’s recommendation that the government adopts a comprehensive national strategy for the protection and promotion of the right to adequate food to reduce reliance on food banks, set clear, time-bound targets and establish appropriate mechanisms to assess progress.  

“We were extremely grateful for the opportunity to present our own experiences of lack of access to affordable food in Castlemilk.”

The group also raised the issue of homelessness with the committee, the need to build more social housing and the lack of funding for aids and adaptations to enable people to live in their own home for longer.