Statement: SAHRC National Food Systems Inquiry

The Just Transition in the Food System network comments on the SA Human Rights Commission's inquiry into the South African food system (12-19 March). While supporting the inquiry's goals to address structural hunger and the right to food, the network criticizes the absence of corporate testimony and the lack of local/provincial hearings, which may exclude the voices of the most marginalized people experiencing food insecurity.

• The SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) has launched an inquiry into the South African food system and the right to food, with oral testimony scheduled from 12 March to 19 March. The inquiry is driven by the contradiction of food abundance existing alongside prevalent hunger, the need to address structural causes of hunger, and the role of law, policy, corporate power, and communities in food systems.
• The Just Transition in the Food System network submitted a wide-ranging response to the SAHRC covering the inquiry's seven themes and three additional critical areas: gender, child nutrition, and climate impacts.
• The Just Transition in the Food System network and the Union Against Hunger expressed concern that no corporate actors are scheduled to provide testimony, despite the disproportionate influence of agribusiness and corporate actors in shaping food system policy and practices.
• Concerns were raised regarding the accessibility and inclusivity of the inquiry, specifically the lack of provincial or local hearings and a written submission process described as specialised and inaccessible. Because the inquiry is located in Johannesburg, there is doubt that voices from the most marginalised locations experiencing hunger will be meaningfully heard.

APA

Institute for Economic Justice (2026). Statement: SAHRC National Food Systems Inquiry. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/statement-sahrc-national-food-systems-inquiry/

Chicago

Institute for Economic Justice. Statement: SAHRC National Food Systems Inquiry. 2026. https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/statement-sahrc-national-food-systems-inquiry/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Institute for Economic Justice |title=Statement: SAHRC National Food Systems Inquiry |date=13 March 2026 |url=https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/statement-sahrc-national-food-systems-inquiry/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{instituteforeconomicjustice2026statement, author = {{Institute for Economic Justice}}, title = {{Statement: SAHRC National Food Systems Inquiry}}, publisher = {Institute for Economic Justice}, year = {2026}, month = mar, url = {https://iej.org.za/press-room/statements/statement-sahrc-national-food-systems-inquiry/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }