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.
Published: February 2007
ID #: 1005
Publisher: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Authors: Muller M, Schoonover H, Wallinga D
Keywords: Commodity foods, Competitive foods, Farm, Food systems, Fruits and vegetables, School meal programs, Sugar-sweetened beverages, Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
State: National
Focus Areas: Nutrition Policy & Programs, Pricing & Economics, School & After School
Resource Type: Report
Related Research
February 2025
More States and Sponsors Are Providing Grab-and-Go Meals to Children during Summer
In 2023, to respond to increased rates of child food insecurity during the summer Congress authorized states to opt in to allowing noncongregate, or “grab-and-go,” summer meal services for students in rural areas. In the summer of 2023, 46 states and DC opted in, and in the summer of 2024 all 50 states and DC MoreFebruary 2025
Consumption of the Food Groups with the Revised Benefits in the New WIC Food Package: A Scoping Review
On 18 April 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) published the first food package changes to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in over a decade, which reduced some food benefits (juice, milk, canned fish, and infant fruits and vegetables) and offered substitutes (cash-value vouchers (CVVs) or cash-value MoreJanuary 2025