Category Archives: food policy

food companies and GMO labels

Posted on February 3, 2013 by admin

Voluntary labeling of GMO products by large agribusiness companies is a hot news item right now: see the articles by Ronnie Cummins, Stephanie Strom, and Tom Laskow.  People are cheering, and there are many aspects to be pleased about: the … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food companies, food policy, gmo | 1 Comment

sustainability, greenwashing, and consumers

Posted on January 29, 2013 by admin

My mind is working on overdrive right now, trying to fit disparate events into an order that makes sense. Here it goes: In Markets class last night, we watched the documentary The Corporation. This was the best documentary I have seen … Continue reading →

Posted in fair trade, food policy, Food studies, Oaxaca, shared value, whole foods market | Leave a comment

the Economist writes about obesity

Posted on December 17, 2012 by admin

The Dec 15, 2012 issue of The Economist is devoted to obesity. Two of the articles on obesity are relevant to what’s on my mind today: one discussing policy approaches to obesity and the other with background information. The article … Continue reading →

Posted in food availability, food choices, food policy | Leave a comment

decling childhood obesity?

Posted on December 11, 2012 by admin

Today’s NY Times reports that a RWJF policy brief reveals that at least four locations have reported declines in the percent of children obese (in some cases obese and overweight): Philadelphia, NYC, CA and Mississippi. I need to read the … Continue reading →

Posted in Cities, food choices, food policy, public health | Leave a comment

snack, soda and fat taxes

Posted on November 12, 2012 by admin

It is easy to list the costs of obesity, which include medical costs, lower wages via discrimination, lost days at work and an overall lower quality of life. But like many other health impeding problems (think of inactivity and smoking), … Continue reading →

Posted in EU, food policy, region, snack tax | Leave a comment

urban agriculture and post-Sandy thoughts

Posted on November 3, 2012 by admin

Clearly, one risk farmers face is the weather: storms, in particular, are unexpected at the time of planting. Farmers do have knowledge of general weather possibilities in their area (tornadoes are more likely in Kansas than in Vermont, for example), … Continue reading →

Posted in food policy, urban agriculture | 1 Comment

double value coupons: do they work?

Posted on September 25, 2012 by admin

On the ground efforts to increase food access take many forms, but all aim to change the food environment for low income households. One of the most noteworthy is a short term “incentive” provided to households receiving federal nutrition benefits … Continue reading →

Posted in double value coupons, farmers markets, food availability, NYC, public health, wholesome wave | 1 Comment

cynicism about the farm bill

Posted on July 13, 2012 by admin

The most recent big news about the farm bill is that the House agriculture committee passed their version yesterday, although the full House has not yet voted on the bill.  Rather than discussing the contents of the bill (which are … Continue reading →

Posted in farm bill, food policy, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

big organic and the National Organic Standards Board??

Posted on July 8, 2012 by admin

Today’s NY Times has an article discussing big organic’s influence on the industry. A key factor the author hones in on is that as the industry has grown larger, the composition of the National Organic Standards Board, (NOSB) has changed … Continue reading →

Posted in food policy, NOSB, organic food | Leave a comment

regulation of soda size is worthwhile

Posted on June 12, 2012 by admin

The human health costs of obesity have been well established. But the failure to find a “cure” for obesity, for both individuals and society, reveals the complexity of the problem.  After all, each of us knows at least a few … Continue reading →

Posted in food choices, food policy, NYC | 3 Comments