This past weekend Dr. David Wallinga, director of IATP's Food and Health program, was featured on Huffington Post. His blog entry, “Challenging the Obesity System,” looks at the obesity epidemic as a symptom of the larger issue of an unhealthy food system.
“As a cheap calorie policy, U.S. farm policy has been a success. Foods high in fats, sugars and calories, such as cooking oils, snacks, fast foods and sugared sodas, are some of the cheapest foods in the American diet,” he writes. “But for public health, U.S. farm policy's focus on a few commodities is outdated.”
What about solutions? Dr. Wallinga offers three suggestions:
- Establishing an independent Healthy Foods Commission of non-governmental public health, agriculture and food system experts.
- Partnering with America's farmers to grow healthier food by offering support equal to that offered in the current commodity-focused system.
- Raising the standards of the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs.
Read the full post here and join the conversation. How can public health and food policy come together?
