This International Bar Association article on food security features insights from our colleague Gert-Jan de Jager, lawyer and food law specialist, who was interviewed for the article.
Global food systems are under significant pressure. The result is that food security has increasingly become a critical issue for policymakers and legislators. In-House Perspective looks at what this means for companies and their counsel.
Concerns around food security have increased in recent years, driven at least in part by geopolitical instability, the climate crisis and high inflation. In 2026, the issue has been further exacerbated by trade tensions and fertiliser market disruption triggered by the closure of the Strait of Hormuz – a key global shipping route – as a result of the US-Iran conflict.
A food security update published by the World Bank in June says that fertiliser prices increased by 35 per cent in the first five months of 2026 compared with the same period the previous year. It adds that global supplies remain ‘broadly adequate’ but that food and nutrition security is fragile amid higher costs and supply chain pressures. It also warns that the emergence of El Niño – the periodical warming of the Pacific Ocean – this year could further heighten food insecurity.
To address these concerns, governments are responding with roadmaps, strategies and long-term visions and, in some cases, regulatory interventions. A recent prominent example is Canada’s National Food Security Strategy, launched in June. ‘Too much of what we grow is processed elsewhere, and too many Canadians still rely on imported food at higher prices,’ said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney at the time. ‘Canada’s first-ever National Food Security Strategy will help grow and process more food here and put more Canada on Canadian plates – lowering costs, creating jobs, and building a food system that is more resilient, more competitive, and more our own.’
Read the full article on the website of the International Bar Association.
Source: International Bar Association
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If you have any questions related to this article, please contact Gert-Jan de Jager (gj@kneppelhout.nl), specialist in food & agriculture.
