Human rights – Madhura Rao

Ensuring access to safe food in a globalised food system

In December 2025, I delivered a guest lecture at Leiden University College The Hague as part of the undergraduate course SDGs, Human Rights and International Law. The interdisciplinary course focuses on Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and invites students to critically engage with questions such as: What does the human right to food entail? […]

Ultra-processed foods are reshaping our diets. Should we be worried?

Written for the Good Food Movement as part of my monthly column ‘The Plate and the Planet’. Published in September 2025. Header image credit: Alia Sinha for the Good Food Movement. Walk into any grocery store today, and you’re likely to find shelves stacked with shiny packets, instant mixes, and colourful snacks that promise taste, […]

Human rights, Safety & Quality

Mercury in Seafood | Should We Really Be Concerned?

Originally published on FoodUnfolded.com in December 2023. Header image by Cait Mack for FoodUnfolded. With its low melting point, high density, and excellent conductivity, mercury has several industrial and scientific applications. But the unsafe use of this metal can result in severe health and environmental implications, especially through bioaccumulation in seafood. Mercury enters the atmosphere […]

Human rights

Holding retail corporations accountable for food waste

Published open access in the Journal of Business Ethics in November 2023. View full text here. Title Holding Retail Corporations Accountable for Food Waste: A Due Diligence Framework Informed by Business and Human Rights Principles Abstract Retail corporations orchestrate much of what happens in today’s food supply chains. From setting sky-high cosmetic standards for fresh […]

Human rights

Food Banks | Are They Beneficial to Society?

Article co-authored with Dr Alie de Boer. Originally published on foodunfolded.com on 03/05/2023. Header illustration by Charlotte Ager. In most European countries, the government protects the economic and social wellbeing of its citizens through schemes such as rent subsidies, equal employment opportunities, and unemployment benefits. However, rising prices and increasing food insecurity have created the […]

Human rights

Voedselonzekerheid onder kwetsbare Nederlanders nam toe door Covid

Samen geschreven met Dr. Alie de Boer. Oorspronkelijk gepubliceerd op FoodLog.nl in juni 2022. Sinds de financiële crisis van 2008-2011 is het aantal mensen dat aanklopt bij voedselbanken gestegen. De oorlog in Oekraïne maakt deze situatie niet rooskleuriger. Ons onderzoek naar de gevolgen van de COVID-19 pandemie op de herverdeling van voedseloverschotten laat zien dat […]

Human rights

10 Organisations Fighting for Food Security

Originally published on FoodUnfolded.com in August 2022 Whether it is ensuring citizens’ right to safe food or advocating for those growing and processing our food, civil society organisations play an important role in moving towards a more equitable and fair way of producing and consuming food. Here are 10 international organisations that address diverse human […]

Human rights

How COVID-19 Impacted Surplus Food Redistribution

Published Open Access in Food Security in May 2022. View full text here. Title How COVID-19 impacted surplus food redistribution in the Netherlands: An explorative study Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has been detrimental to food security globally. The Netherlands, despite its advanced stage of development, saw a surge in food insecurity among its most vulnerable […]

Human rights

Food Deserts | Why do they exist?

Originally published on FoodUnfolded.com in May 2022. Header image created by and property of FoodUnfolded. Income inequality is on the rise in many parts of the world today. Even in countries that are considered wealthy, not everyone has equal access to food. Here are some factors that make it even more difficult for socioeconomically disadvantaged […]

Human rights

Cheap Seafood | The Social Cost of Production

Originally published on FoodUnfolded.com in March 2022 Many workers employed onboard offshore fishing vessels have been subjected to unsafe working conditions, unfair wages, subpar living conditions and both physical and psychological abuse. While this issue exists around the world, it is particularly rampant in Southeast Asia, a region that owes much of its recent prosperity […]