Relationship between food, transportation and health: Creating meaningful interaction across systems to build healthy communities

Agri-food systems and transportation systems contribute much to the global economy and welfare by increasing the volume and speed of flows of food across the world. However, the linkages also adversely affect human health. These negative effects arise from unequal access to healthy food, unequal access to transportation for agri-food workers, increasing geospatial and economic concentration in the agri-food industry, and an emerging competition between food and fuel. Because the health of individuals is inextricably tied to the health of communities, regions, and ecological systems, health and transportation professionals need to act to both mitigate current disparities and enhance the future viability and sustainability of these systems.

This presentation offers numerous policy recommendations for overcoming shortcomings in how the agri-food and transportation systems currently interact to create healthier, more equitable, communities. This session will discuss opportunities in the upcoming surface transportation bill –a multi-year, multi-billion dollar federal expenditure that heavily impacts all transportation policies across the nation. This bill only passes every five to seven years and sets the tone for transportation planning at the state, regional and local levels. This is an opportunity to create a transportation system supportive of health. With food becoming more expensive and the downturn of the economy weighing on families and individuals, we must explore options to ensure healthy, affordable food growth and access.