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Influencing food policy

“If you take a McDonald’s meal, you don’t realize it when you eat it, but you’re eating corn. Beef has been corn-fed. Soda is corn. Even the French fries. Half the calories in the French fries come from the fat they’re fried in, which is liable to be either corn oil or soy oil. So when you’re at McDonald’s, you’re eating Iowa food. Everything on your plate is corn.”

– Michael Pollan, UC Berkeley, in King Corn

Government has a responsibility to protect public health, but few policies are in place to prevent or combat obesity. In fact, federal farm policy is likely contributing to poor eating habits with corn and soy subsidies that make high-calorie foods cheap and plentiful. High fructose corn syrup is quickly becoming a staple of the American diet, while rates of obesity, heart disease, cancer, and stroke rise. It seems the federal government is subsidizing poor diet instead of the fruits, vegetables, and whole grains at the heart of the USDA’s food pyramid.

The Rudd Center is committed to generating unique approaches to policy at federal, state, and local levels so that government action promotes rather than derails the nation’s dietary health. What government fails to do (e.g. set better school food standards, develop walking and biking opportunities, create incentives for supermarkets in poor neighborhoods) is also of paramount importance. Our far-reaching initiatives to reverse childhood obesity and inform public policy emphasize the need for dramatic change in our nation’s priorities.

  • Reforming the School Nutrition Environment: The Rudd Center works with policy makers, educators, and parents in order to give our children the nutritious, safe school environments they deserve.
  • A Resource for Policy Measures: From testifying before the United States Senate to publishing opinion-editorial pieces in the nation's leading newspapers, the Rudd Center serves as an active resource for public policy makers.
  • Outlining New Directions: Our work in legal initiatives and public policy continues to grow as our faculty members contribute valuable insights in press, research publications, and national presentations.

» Next: Reforming the school nutrition environment
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Introduction

Fighting
weight bias

Influencing
food policy

Shaping
the public conversation

Conclusion