Food Is a Human Right: What Food Insecurity Means for Hamilton, South Lanarkshire

Food is not a luxury, it's a human right.

Today is Human Rights Day, a day when we're invited to look again at what human dignity really means. For many people in Hamilton and across South Lanarkshire, that question starts with something very basic.

Can I afford enough food this week?

But basic necessities like food, shelter, and dignity aren't luxuries. They're rights.

Food is a human right, not a luxury

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for their health and wellbeing, including food.

International law goes further. The UN’s main human-rights treaty on living standards, recognises both the right to adequate food and “the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger”.

The Scottish Human Rights Commission explains that the right to food is not just about having some food. It is about regular access to sufficient, safe, nutritious and culturally appropriate food, in ways that keep people’s dignity.

So when people in our community are skipping meals, relying on food banks or worrying that food will run out, that’s not just a social problem. It is a human-rights issue.

The reality of food insecurity in our community

Scotland is a wealthy country, yet food insecurity remains a reality for thousands of people. According to the latest Scottish Health Survey, 8% of adults worry about running out of food because of a lack of money or other resources. While this was a welcome fall from 14% in 2023, which was the highest level recorded since the survey began tracking food insecurity in 2017, it still means around 1 in 12 adults were worried about being able to afford enough food. The impact is particularly stark for single-parent families, with more than one in three (36%) adults in single-parent households worrying about running out of food.

Food insecurity is driven primarily by insufficient income, with low pay, insecure work and inadequate social security leaving some households without enough money for food.

Food banks are one of the clearest signs of this pressure. Latest figures from Trussell show that food banks in its Scottish community distributed 218,838 emergency food parcels in 2025. Although this was a 13% decrease compared with 2024, the level of need remains significant, with more than 67,000 of those parcels provided for children.

What this looks like in Hamilton and South Lanarkshire

Across South Lanarkshire, the scale of need remains significant. Figures reported in late 2025 show that 11,137 households were referred to or attended five local food banks for assistance, between April and September 2025. And the pressure on local services continues. In February 2026, South Lanarkshire Council announced a further £40,000 of support for seven local food banks operating across Clydesdale, East Kilbride, Hamilton and Cambuslang and Rutherglen.

Food poverty is clearly part of everyday life in Hamilton and across South Lanarkshire.

Who's being left behind?

Food insecurity doesn't affect everyone equally. Research into food insecurity among families in Scotland shows just how unequal the experience can be. In 2024, 44% of families with children living in Scotland's most deprived areas worried about running out of food, compared with just 6% in the least deprived areas.

Young people, single parents and disabled people can face particularly high risks of food insecurity. Recent research from Trussell found that 27% of disabled people in Scotland experienced food insecurity in 2024, compared with just 8% of non-disabled people. 75% of people referred to food banks in Trussell's Scottish network were disabled.

Food insecurity takes a devastating toll. When people can't afford enough nutritious food, the consequences go far beyond hunger with research linking food insecurity with poorer nutritional intake and physical and mental health.

Why this is a human-rights issue, not just about charity

It’s easy to see food insecurity only in terms of charity. Generous people donating tins to food banks, volunteers sorting parcels, local supermarkets hosting collection points.

But a human-rights approach asks a deeper question.

Why are so many people in a rich country unable to afford food in the first place?

International guidance on the right to food is clear, governments have obligations to respect, protect and fulfil this right. That includes:

• Making sure social security and wages are enough for people to buy food.

• Regulating markets so that basic food is available and affordable.

• Ensuring emergency support is there when people fall through the cracks.

  
  

The Scottish Human Rights Commission has warned that essential rights, including the right to an adequate standard of living, are out of reach for many people in Scotland who are struggling to afford food, fuel and housing.

So while food banks save lives, they are also a sign that our human-rights obligations are not being fully met.

Real change means ensuring everyone has enough money to afford food and other essentials. It means protecting social security, creating secure jobs with fair wages, and making sure affordable housing is available to all. The Good Food Nations (Scotland) Act 2022 represents a step forward, committing Scotland to a human rights approach to food, but we still have a long way to go.

What we can do in Hamilton

Support local food solidarity

• Donate food, money or time to Hamilton District Foodbank or other community food projects.

• Ask what items are most needed before donating.

  
  

Help yourself and others connect with support

• Share information about South Lanarkshire Council’s Worried about food page and helpline with anyone who might be struggling.

• Point people towards advice services like ours, at Hamilton Citizens Advice we can help to maximise income and refer to food banks.

• Beyond emergency food, organisations like Fairhill Community Food Co-op offer alternatives that help people afford fresh, healthy food without the stigma still often associated with food banks.

Talk about food as a right, not a favour

• When you discuss food banks, frame them as a temporary safety net, not the solution. When we frame food insecurity as a human rights issue, we shift the conversation from individual failings to systemic problems that need collective solutions. We recognise that in a wealthy country like Scotland, nobody should have to choose between eating and heating or skip meals so their children can eat.

  
  

Engage with politicians and policy

• Contact your local councillors, MSPs and MP to say you support building the right to food into Scots law, as proposed in work around a new Human Rights Bill for Scotland.

• Ask what they are doing to reduce reliance on food banks in South Lanarkshire.

  
  

Build community

• Join or start local initiatives like community meals, growing projects and cooking groups which give people access to good food in welcoming, stigma-free spaces.

A Human Rights message

Recognising food as a human right helps us see the bigger picture. It reminds us that no one in South Lanarkshire should have to rely on charity just to eat.

Change starts with awareness. Talk about food insecurity without judgment. Support local food organisations through donations or volunteering. Advocate for policies that ensure everyone has a sufficient income.

We can build a Hamilton where everyone can afford to eat well, where food banks are relics of the past, and where the right to food is a reality for all.