Projects

Farm and Food Policy and Obesity

Farm and Food Policy and Obesity was the subject of a workshop May 21-22, 2010, at the Conference Center at the University of California-Davis.  The workshop targeted economists, nutritionists and policy professionals working in government, academia and the private sector.

This workshop was a collaboration of the University of California Giannini Foundation, Farm Foundation, NFP, the University of California Agricultural Issues Center, the Robert Mondavi Institute’s Center for Wine Economists, USDA National Institute for Food and Agricultural, the University of California-Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Iowa State University Department of Economics, and the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University.

The workshop was preceded by a lecture by Dr. Barry Popkin of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and author of the book, “The World is Fat.”

Here is a summary of the workshop sessions:
Overview
Obesity and its consequences, Judy Stern, University of California, Davis
The economics of obesity,  Jay Bhattacharya, Stanford University
U.S. Dietary Change, Food Policy Options and Research Gaps,
Barry Popkin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

Food and Commodity Policies and Obesity
Food prices and obesity, Laurian Unnevehr, USDA Economic Research Service
U.S. Farm Bill policies including R&D, Julian Alston, University of California, Davis
Taxes and subsidies on food, beverages, and ingredients, John Beghin, Iowa State University

Lunch   –  Pat Crawford, Atkins Center for Weight and Health, University of California, Berkeley.

Food and Nutrition Programs Policies and Obesity
Overview of food assistance programs and obesity, Lucia Kaiser, University of California-Davis
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Parke Wilde, Tufts University
School meals programs, Helen Jensen, Iowa State University
Fruit and vegetables programs, Gail Harrison,UCLA Center for Global and Immigrant Health

Information, Education, and Institutions
Nutritional labeling, David Zorn, FDA’s Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition
Nutrition education,(Sheri Zidenberg-Cherr, University of California, Davis
Access to Affordable and Nutritious Food, Michele Ver Ploeg, USDA ERS
Child-feeding Practices in a Latino WIC Population,Virginia Chaidez, University of California-Davis

Models and Mechanisms
Public-private roles, Ellen Goddard, University of Alberta
BMI as a measure of obesity in models and policy, Joanna Parks, USDA ERS
Beverage taxes, Jessica Todd, University of California-Davis
R&D versus Subsidies, Abigail Okrent, University of California-Davis.