The Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition produced a special journal issue highlighting papers and discussions from the April 2009 conference, “Food Systems and Public Health: Linkages to Achieve Healthier Diets and Healthier Communities.” The conference convened more than 100 leading researchers and practitioners nationwide from the health, nutrition, obesity and health policy arenas, as More
The concept of economies of size refers to the ability to lower cost of production by increasing production. This article discusses economies of size in production agriculture and the consequences economies of size have on food production and rural America’s future.
This article reviews literature examining the impact food systems have on creating and exacerbating health disparities in the United States. It highlights directions for future research and policies to address the health disparities created by food systems.
Since children and adolescents spend a large amount of time each day at school and consume a substantial portion of their daily food intake there, it is critical to assess food and beverage availability and what youth are eating in this setting. The national School Nutrition Dietary Assessment (SNDA) studies provide a comprehensive picture of More
This report found that school districts fail to take advantage of healthier foods offered by the federal child nutrition commodity program, despite improvements in the nutritional quality of foods offered to schools by USDA. The study found that, in California, meat and cheese products accounted for more than 82% of the dollars spent on commodity More
Individual behavior to make healthy choices can occur only in a supportive environment with accessible and affordable healthy food choices. This article presents an overview of food environments and strategies for creating healthy eating environments. An ecological framework is presented for conceptualizing the many food environments and conditions that influence food choices, followed by a More
This paper briefly describes the economic nature of crop agriculture, then presents an overview of agricultural policy before addressing whether U.S. agricultural policy truly contributes to the growing levels of obesity in this country.
This paper was written before the passage of the 2007 Farm Bill in December 2007, but the text effectively describes how this new bill (written in anticipation of the legislation’s passage) affects not only farmers and rural communities but the environment, public health, and even socioeconomic variables. In addition to presenting a background on the More
This paper describes some of the ways that agricultural policies influence what foods (and how much of them) are produced and eaten in the United States. In doing so, the authors identify key factors that contribute to the negative trends in obesity and also offer possible strategies for revising policies to reverse these trends.
This study will provide a rare assessment of the Child Nutrition Commodity Food Program, examining the nutrition quality of the foods made available by the program, the manner in which it operates, how school districts make use of the program and how the program assists or impedes school districts in complying with USDA school meal More
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