The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights “The right to have regular, permanent and unrestricted access, either directly or by means of financial purchases, to quantitatively and qualitatively adequate and sufficient food corresponding to the cultural traditions of the people to which the consumer belongs, and which ensure a physical and mental, individual and collective, fulfilling and dignified life free of fear.” General Comment No. 12 (1999) of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has given the following interpretation of the right to adequate food. ‘The right to adequate food is realized when every man, woman and child, alone or in community with others, have physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for its procurement.’ The word ‘adequate’ denotes the large extent of socioeconomic and cultural circumstances and access to adequate food which is fundamental for the right to adequate food, which must be ‘adequate’ in terms of the availability of food in quality and quantity. ‘Dietary needs’ which are wider than nutrients for physical needs of individuals cannot be fulfilled without having qualitative and quantitative food. It refers to those dietary needs which are indispensable for physical and mental growth and physical activity. However, there is a minimum universal standard of right to food under all circumstances which is spelled out in article 11(2) of the ICESCR as the fundamental right to freedom from hunger. The Committee affirms that the right to adequate food is indivisibly linked to the inherent dignity of the human person and is indispensable for the fulfillment of other human rights enshrined in the International Bill of Human Rights. It is also inseparable from social justice, requiring the adoption of appropriate economic, environmental and social policies, at both the national and international levels, oriented to the eradication of poverty and the fulfillment of all human rights for all. The Committee considers that the core content of the right to adequate food implies: 20 The availability: The availability of food in a quantity and quality sufficient to satisfy the dietary needs of individuals, free from adverse substances, and acceptable within a given culture. Availability refers to the possibilities either for feeding oneself directly from productive land or other natural resources, or for well-functioning distribution, processing and market systems that can move food from the site of production to where it is needed in accordance with demand. ‘Free from adverse substances’ sets requirements for food safety and for a range of protective measures by both public and private means to prevent contamination of foodstuffs through adulteration and/or through bad environmental hygiene or inappropriate handling at different stages throughout the food chain; care must also be taken to identify and avoid or destroy naturally occurring toxins. Cultural or consumer acceptability implies the need also to take into account, as far as possible, perceived non nutrient-based values attached to food and food consumption and informed consumer concerns regarding the nature of accessible food supplies. The accessibility: The accessibility of such food in ways that are sustainable and that do not interfere with the enjoyment of other human rights. Accessibility encompasses both economic and physical accessibility. Economic accessibility implies that personal or household financial costs associated with the acquisition of food for an adequate diet should be at a level such that the attainment and satisfaction of other basic needs are not threatened or compromised. Economic accessibility applies to any acquisition pattern or entitlement through which people procure their food and is a measure of the extent to which it is satisfactory for the enjoyment of the right to adequate food. Socially vulnerable groups such as landless persons and other particularly impoverished segments of the population may need attention through special programmes. Physical accessibility implies that adequate food must be accessible to everyone, including physically vulnerable individuals, such as infants and young children, elderly people, the physically disabled, the terminally ill and persons with persistent medical problems, including the mentally 21