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
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