Food citizenship as a movement was first catalysed during a collaborative innovation project, convened by the New Citizen Project with support from the Food Ethics Council. This work sought to explore a food system beyond the consumer framing, instead centred on the citizen. Representatives of six food and civil society organisations were brought together to explore and experiment with a new way of thinking about the challenges facing the food system. 

But, what is food citizenship, and why is it important? Food citizenship describes the beautiful belief that people naturally care about others, about animals and about the planet, and argues that we need to access our own power in order sustain and grow that instinct to care. As consumers, our power is limited to that of our wallets. This is an unjust and extremely limited story of what it means to be human!  

How to nurture our power, and to make it meaningful, creative and joyful to exercise it is the opportunity and challenge for those of us interested in strengthening the movement.  

Food citizenship is not just for charities or individuals. Businesses too can choose to be led by ethics rather than profit alone, and there are a growing number of social enterprises and profit-making traders who pride themselves on putting people and planet first.

We need to work collectively and collaboratively to build the belief we all have the power to make positive change in our food systems, and that we all have the right to affordable, nourishing and sustainable food.