Brief on the Report, “Food, nutrition and the right to health,” Issued by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng

Key points to move forward in the prevention of diet-related noncommunicable diseases from a rights-based perspective

Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng was appointed as the United Nations’ Special Rapporteur on the right to health by the Human Rights Council at its forty-fourth session in July 20201. The Special Rapporteur’s mandate includes gathering, requesting, receiving, and exchanging information on the realization of the right of the right to health, as well as reporting on its realization across the world, including through laws, policies, and good practices.

In compliance with her mandate and in line with these priorities, Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng devoted her latest report — published in July 2023 — to the topic of food, nutrition, and the right to health. The report acknowledges that international human rights law mandates that States address noncommunicable disease (NCDs) risk factors, including unhealthy diets, and provides an in-depth, rights-based analysis of specific regulatory measures, such as front-of-package nutrition labeling, marketing restrictions, and fiscal and procurement policies. It also explores food systems governance for health, touching upon the issue of conflicts of interest.

Reports issued by United Nations Special Rapporteurs often inform advocacy and litigation efforts connected to policy reform at the national level. This brief was developed by the Global Center for Legal Innovation on Food Environments to facilitate such efforts by highlighting key points from Dr. Tlaleng Mofokeng’s latest report in connection with NCD prevention.

Read the full report here.