268400 Viewing the Farm Bill through the lens of public health law

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM

Jill Krueger, JD , The Network for Public Health Law, St. Paul, MN
In its discussion of healthy eating, the National Prevention Strategy states that, “The Federal Government will improve agricultural policies to better align with the nutrition goals of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” This suggests that we ought to consider the Farm Bill through the lens of public health law. Legal tools to analyze include the power to tax and spend, the power to alter the informational environment, and the power to regulate. With these legal tools, the Farm Bill has created a cycle of support for production of commodities such as corn and soybeans. By analyzing the potential to use the same legal tools in innovative ways, public health professionals can help create a comparable cycle of support for production and distribution of an array of healthy foods.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
1. Analyze how the Farm Bill, including commodity payments, crop insurance, agricultural loan, conservation, and research programs, influences the farming practices and crops grown by farmers. 2. Analyze the role of the Farm Bill in shaping the foods available to approximately 45 million Americans experiencing financial distress, through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). 3. Identify opportunities for state and local public health professionals to impact the food environment at both the program and policy levels.

Keywords: Food and Nutrition, Public Health Policy

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a senior attorney with The Network for Public Health Law. I was the principal investigator for a Healthy Eating Research report entitled, Planting the Seeds for Public Health: How the Farm Bill Can Help Farmers to Produce and Distribute Healthy Foods. I continue to write, speak, and provide legal technical assistance related to the intersection of agricultural policy and public health law.
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: 4117.0: Food Industry and the Law