The persistence of hunger remains the most pressing, yet most neglected, food-related ethical issue. In the past two decades, some ethical issues have come to the forefront of public discourse on food and agriculture--witness consumer concerns regarding the potential negative side effects of the production and trade of genetically modified food. But in the debate about how to eradicate hunger, ethical concerns have been largely ignored. The neglect of human motivations such as "goodwill," "duty," "altruism," and "loyalty," and inattention to important institutions such as community groups, cooperatives, and religious institutions in influencing behavior, have relegated ethics to the sidelines and limited the effectiveness of economic and technology policies in the battle against hunger and malnutrition. Without a focus on ethics, we lose an important means of applying pressure for change and narrow our understanding of why we struggle to end hunger. In the context of an emerging consensus on global ethics, focused on human dignity, rights, and equity, the specific issue of ending hunger needs to be emphasized.

How can we bring ethics to the fore in the fight against hunger? Increasingly, the food system is understood as being closely linked to the health system. Accordingly, the ethics of the medical profession may suggest some practical approaches to a new, health-based ethics of food. Unlike the food and agricultural sector, the medical field has enjoyed a dynamic tradition of ethical dialogue since the days of Hippocrates and has created institutional mechanisms to deal with ethical issues. Can we institutionalize ethics in the global food and agricultural system in a way that is partly based on the models of the medical profession? To do so would entail a set of new actions such as the following four:

1. Establish a code of ethics for the food industry and civil society organizations.
Instituting a code of ethics in food and agriculture would not be as straightforward a matter as it appears to be in the medical field. The stakeholders in food and agriculture do not have personalized relationships such as those that doctors have with patients. Nevertheless, increased consumer consciousness and activism with regard to ethics have led the private sector to greater recognition of its ethical responsibilities, as illustrated by the promising movement toward corporate social responsibility.
2. Establish food ethics commissions.
The diversity of positions that emerge when it comes to determining what is ethical points to the importance of having an ethics-based discourse. National food ethics commissions, appointed by legitimate bodies and representing all actors, might be a first step in promoting ethics-focused decisions related to food. These commissions could provide an arena for transparent discourse on what food-related ethical behavior is most appropriate in the context of a nation's culture, and could help balance benefit and risk considerations.
3. Create incentives for behavioral change.
In some cases, recognized ethical principles are violated because there are economic incentives to do so. Ill-designed agricultural subsidies are one example. In these cases, action should be taken to remove incentives that result in adverse economic and social effects. On the consumer side, lack of information about food production processes or misleading advertising can lead to unhealthy dietary habits. A better understanding of food production can lead to more informed consumer decisionmaking. Incentives can also be given to consumers in the form of direct subsidies for the purchase of healthy foods. Ethical considerations can be used as part of a marketing and business strategy. Some consumers are willing to pay a higher price for a product that does not violate their ethical principles. The successes of "eco-labeling" and "fair trade" initiatives in recent years provide examples of such consumer choices.
4. Institutionalize a rights-based approach to food security.
Rights-based approaches, especially the right to adequate food, have gained increased support in recent years. The wide acceptance of a related voluntary set of guidelines to the right to food in 2004 (http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/008/J3345e/j3345e01.htm) reflects that ethical development. Governments must be open to concerns about a food system that ensures food security. The different stakeholders within the food system--consumers, producers, the media, governments, international organizations, and civil society more broadly--must recognize their respective responsibilities in creating an ethical environment focused on ending hunger. A more ethical approach to food and agriculture does not guarantee that hunger will be reduced faster, but it might help. Pursued in isolation, an emphasis on ethics may even lead to excessive regulation, which has pitfalls of its own. The hope, however, is that promoting ethics will lead to greater political empowerment and political will related to the need to end hunger. If this happens, an investment in ethics-promoting institutional mechanisms may actually be repaid--economically, morally, and in terms of human security--many times over.