Accepting the idea of food as a basic social right, the author examines how a global right to food might become a reality for the present generation of hungry people. The paper includes an analysis of the planet's physical capacity to assure food for all and suggests that development strategies will have to become more directly oriented toward meeting basic needs and creating new methods of growth. Also, third world countries will have to make major reorientations in both domestic and international relations. The links between the goals of increasing individual welfare and the desire for greater international justice are examined. The author suggests that an important step toward more equitable distribution of costs associated with meeting global food needs would be the creation of a shared foundation for dealing with the issues. This foundation would study problems such as the export of agricultural commodities by multinational corporations which may deprive people of the exporting country from food. (Author/KC)