The European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Food is a Human Right for All!” officially began collecting signatures on 7 January, launching a new citizen-led effort to reshape how the European Union approaches food policy.
The initiative makes use of the ECI, the EU’s main instrument of participatory democracy, which entered into force in 2012. Under EU rules, an initiative must collect at least one million signatures from citizens in a minimum of seven Member States.
Progress is monitored daily on the official ECI website, and once the threshold is reached, the European Commission is required to respond and decide what legislative or policy action to take.
Sponsored by Fondation Salvia, a private foundation based in Geneva, Switzerland, the initiative follows in the footsteps of the successful “End the Cage Age” ECI, which contributed to reforms on animal welfare.
According to its organisers, the new campaign is supported by more than 240 organisations across 20 EU Member States, reflecting wide-ranging concern about the current state of Europe’s food systems.
Those concerns have become increasingly visible in recent months. Farmers have staged protests in Brussels and other European cities, food insecurity is rising, and public debate is intensifying over how food is produced, distributed and consumed. Organisers argue that these challenges are interconnected and demand a comprehensive response.
The initiative calls for food to be recognised as a human right and for EU policies to support just, humane and sustainable food systems for current and future generations. It highlights the cross-sectoral nature of food policy, touching on farmer livelihoods, access to healthy food, public health, environmental sustainability and animal welfare, both within Europe and beyond.
“The food systems we have in place in Europe affect every part of our lives,” said Olga Kikou, representative of the ECI Citizens’ Committee and Director of Animal Advocacy & Food Transition. She stressed that food justice and accessibility cannot be separated from animal welfare or from addressing industrial food production and overconsumption.
Unlike many previous ECIs, the initiative does not focus on a single legislative proposal. Instead, it presents an action plan made up of 14 proposals, each targeting a specific aspect of the right to food.
Key priorities for organisers include strengthening EU animal welfare legislation, increasing the availability and consumption of plant-based foods, and reducing the overconsumption of animal products.
An earlier version of the initiative was returned by the European Commission for not fully meeting ECI regulatory requirements. Following revisions that clarified legal bases and referenced relevant EU legislation, the Commission registered the initiative in early July 2025.
While acknowledging a challenging political climate for agricultural and food reform, organisers remain hopeful. Beyond potential legislation, they argue the initiative’s broader value lies in raising awareness, mobilising citizens across the EU and demonstrating public demand for change.
Even if legislative outcomes remain uncertain, supporters say the ECI represents a powerful democratic tool to bring food justice back to the centre of Europe’s political debate.