Researchers Call for a Paradigm Shift in Policy Development for a More Sustainable and Just Food System

Apr 16, 2015

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Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future (CLF),found that the current US food system is unhealthy, unjust and damaging to the environment. The research team reviewed the social, environmental and public health impacts of past and current food policies in the US, analyzed how such policies have shaped the US food system, and provided policy recommendations for a more sustainable and equitable food system. Specifically, they assessed the impact of American food policies on issues such as agricultural markets, environmental health, antimicrobial resistance, occupational safety, food safety, diet-related diseases, and human rights as they relate to food, and health. Their work was recently published in the Annual Review of Public Health.

“The health problems associated with our current food system are caused to a considerable degree by food and agricultural policies,” says Robert Lawrence, MD, Director of the Center for a Livable Future and senior author of the paper. “Such policies encourage the overconsumption of nutrient-poor foods and facilitate the ongoing concentration of food and agricultural markets, while providing inadequate support for sustainable alternatives.” Dr. Lawrence and his team provided policy recommendations spanning production, marketing, food access, and overarching food system issues. For example, they recommended prioritizing regional, local, and sustainably produced foods in purchasing requirements for government programs and institutions, and called for lawmakers to enforce current antitrust laws as they apply to market concentration in food system industries.

The review, titled “Food System Policy, Public Health and Human Rights in the United States” was written by Kerry Shannon, Brent Kim, Shawn McKenzie and Robert Lawrence and funded by the CLF.