It is often argued that farm subsidies have led to the overproduction of commodity crops, and removing these subsidies would help combat obesity by discouraging overproduction of crops that are the base ingredients of unhealthy foods. This white paper analyzes the public health and agricultural economic literature and primary and secondary agriculture policy documents to examine this argument. Findings of the review indicate that deregulation of commodity markets–not subsidies–has a significant impact on the prices of commodities. The authors conclude that public health and health care communities can find common ground with the family farm community by moving beyond the focus on subsidies and advocating for comprehensive commodity policy reform.
Published: October 2011
ID #: 1054
Publisher: Food & Water Watch and Public Health Institute
Authors: Food & Water Watch and Public Health Institute
Keywords: Commodity foods, Farm, Food systems, Healthy food financing, Rural, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Women, Infants, and Children (WIC)
Focus Areas: Food Access, Nutrition Policy & Programs, Pricing & Economics
State: National
Resource Type: Report
Related Research
June 2025
Changes in SNAP Participation and Food Expenditures for Households with Children During the Pandemic
The purposes of this research were to explore the characteristics of households with children that joined SNAP after substantial changes were made to the program in the early stages of the pandemic and to learn how the changes affected food purchases. The research team used household-based scanner data to assess demographic characteristics and food purchase MoreMay 2025
Implementation Insights and Equity: Considerations for Summer EBT in 2024
In 2024, the US Department of Agriculture introduced a new federal nutrition initiative, the Summer Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) program—also known as SUN Bucks. This program offers grocery benefits to low-income families with children during the summer months to help address gaps in summer food assistance. In 2024, 37 states, all 5 US territories, and MoreFebruary 2025