Analysis & Commentary
ANALYSIS & COMMENTARYA Food Systems Approach To Healthy Food And Agriculture Policy
- Roni A. Neff ( [email protected] ) is an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and program director of food system sustainability and public health at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, both in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Kathleen Merrigan is a professor in public policy at the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. She was previously the deputy secretary of agriculture in the Department of Agriculture.
- David Wallinga is a senior health officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in San Francisco, California.
Abstract
Food has become a prominent focus of US public health policy. The emphasis has been almost exclusively on what Americans eat, not what is grown or how it is grown. A field of research, policy, and practice activities addresses the food-health-agriculture nexus, yet the work is still often considered “alternative” to the mainstream. This article outlines the diverse ways in which agriculture affects public health. It then describes three policy issues: farm-to-school programming, sustainability recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and antibiotic use in animal agriculture. These issues illustrate the progress, challenges, and public health benefits of taking a food systems approach that brings together the food, agriculture, and public health fields.
