231634 Advocacy for a Just, Sustainable and Healthy Food System: Roles for Public Health Professionals

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 5:10 PM - 5:30 PM

David Wallinga, MD, MPA , Food and Health Program, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Minneapolis, MN
Jennifer Billig, MPA , Food and Health, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), Minneapolis, MN
     
Federal farm policy has long had putative public health goals, albeit with little or no involvement of the public community in much of its development; (The Farm Bill's Nutrition Title is one notable exception). This presentation reviews the gradually increasing interest of the medical and public health community leading up to the 2008 Farm Bill. It presents both scientific and policy arguments for why that involvement needs to be heightened if public health goals around obesity and chronic disease prevention are to be realized as part of the upcoming farm bill debate. The prudence of earlier, rather than later involvement of public health professionals in this debate will be discussed. Finally, a variety of next steps will be reviewed for what public health can do to build a movement for healthy, just and sustainable food systems that will echo that achieved around tobacco control.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1) List at least three actions a public health professional can take to influence farm policy toward protecting public health.

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Health Advocacy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a physician involved with advocacy for health and more sustainable, just food systems for the last 10 years
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4356.0: Meeting farm, food and health goals: Policy approaches to just and healthy food systems