Nutrition Policy

Food Supply
commentary
Food Access: Challenges and Solutions Brought on by COVID-19
Sameer M. Siddiqi @Sameer_Siddiqi, Jonathan Cantor, Tamara Dubowitz @TamaraDubowitz, Andrea Richardson, Patricia Ann Stapleton, Yael Katz
Mar 31, 2020
The RAND Blog
For the 14.3 million American households already experiencing food insecurity before the pandemic, shutdowns and restrictions have created new layers of hardship. Tremendous efforts are already underway to help. But the weeks to come will surely demand more creative solutions from the public and private sectors.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
Why Obesity Rates Continue to Climb—and What Can Be Done to Stop It
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Apr 26, 2018
KevinMD.com
Too many Americans are being harmed by a food environment that lacks the necessary standards to make it easier for people to maintain a healthy weight. Policies aimed at portion control and cleaning up the food swamp could make a difference.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Fighting Obesity: Why Chile Should Continue Placing 'Stop Signs' on Unhealthy Foods
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Mar 19, 2018
Inside Sources
By instituting its innovative food warning label policies, Chile has become a beacon of light to countries around the world. The new government would do well to consider why it should maintain these policies, which in the long run will benefit business and the country as a whole.
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Obesity
commentary
What the World Can Learn from Chile's Obesity-Control Strategies
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Dec 30, 2017
U.S. News & World Report
Nearly 30 years into the ongoing global epidemic of obesity and chronic diseases, Chile has taken the lead in identifying and implementing obesity-control strategies that could prove to be the beginning of the end of the epidemic. The country's success on this front can serve as a lesson plan other countries could follow.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Why Nutrition Standards and Policies Should Continue
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
May 25, 2017
RealClearHealth
Rolling back nutrition standards means increasing risks for Americans and does not bode well for population health. Every effort should be made to maintain strong nutrition standards to protect the health of all Americans.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
New Nutrition Labels Will Do Little to Bring Quality to American Diet
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Aug 19, 2016
Fox News Channel
Although good intentions led to the new nutrition labels, it is unlikely that they will improve the quality of the American diet. The label changes have not been tested in a real-world setting with the various factors that influence what people buy.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Lack of Uniformity in Menu Labeling Could Confuse Consumers
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Mar 15, 2016
The Hill
A bill recently passed by the House would loosen nutritional labeling requirements, making it more complicated for consumers to make informed decisions about what to eat when dining out.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
It's Hard to Eat Less When There Is Too Much on Your Plate
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Feb 22, 2016
KevinMD.com
A recent review of 72 studies on portion sizes confirmed that when served more than they need, people eat more than they should. And there is clear evidence that portion sizes are dramatically larger than those served in the 1980s.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
After Trans Fats, Target America's Overeating
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Jul 10, 2015
U.S. News & World Report
In June, the FDA gave manufacturers three years to remove artificial trans fat from the food supply. This is an important step, but solving the problem of diet-related chronic diseases is much more complex than banning a single additive.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Food Providers: Regulators Should Insist They 'First, Do No Harm'
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Apr 8, 2015
The RAND Blog
Everyone needs food, water, and shelter, yet society offers protective standards and regulations for just two of these three essentials. Food regulations focus on preventing illnesses like botulism, but when it comes to chronic diseases like obesity and diabetes, regulations offer little protection to U.S. consumers.
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Chronic Diseases and Conditions
commentary
Supermarkets Are the Problem
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Feb 26, 2015
Slow Food USA
Thirty percent of all supermarket sales can be attributed to end-of-aisle displays, where retailers have placed more foods that increase the risk of obesity and chronic diseases. Relocating those foods to less conspicuous places would still allow those who want them to get them, but the decision to buy would be deliberate rather than impulsive.
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Obesity
commentary
What's Behind the Obesity Epidemic? Easily Accessible Food, and Lots of It
Roland Sturm
Jul 22, 2014
The Health Care Blog
That no group is immune to rising obesity rates suggests that universal environmental factors are driving the trend. The clearest change concerns food availability and cost.
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Nutrition Policy
commentary
Let's Regulate Food Like We Do Alcohol
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
May 19, 2014
New York Daily News
To help people avoid overeating, the kinds of policies effective in controlling alcohol consumption should be applied to food — standardizing portion sizes, limiting impulse marketing and reducing the convenience and salience of foods most closely associated with obesity and chronic diseases.
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Health and Wellness Promotion
commentary
The FDA Ban on Trans Fat Should Be Just the Beginning
Deborah A. Cohen @DrDebCohen
Nov 26, 2013
The Health Care Blog
Most people lack the information they need to judge or track the quantity and quality of the nutrients they consume. The FDA should take a disease prevention approach — as it is currently doing with trans fat — in promoting standards that address how all foods are prepared and served away from home.
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Health Behaviors
commentary
Eating Better for Less
Roland Sturm, Derek Yach
May 28, 2013
Modern Healthcare
A combination of things might well slow the obesity epidemic while also improving the American people's overall nutritional well-being: lowering prices on healthier food, initiatives to control portion sizes, and a long-term campaign to support better food quality.
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Diet and Eating Habits
commentary
Can Improving the Options Improve Our Choices and Outcomes?
Chloe E. Bird @ChloeBirdPhD
Sep 18, 2012
The RAND Blog
Much of the talk has focused on how New York City's ban on sugary drinks, intended to curb obesity by improving dietary choices for consumers, will restrict individuals’ options. Of course, even after the ban, consumers can still buy a second soda. But they might want to take a moment to think about the consequences before doing so, writes Chloe Bird.
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Quoted

It may be too late for prevention or containment [of COVID-19] among farmworkers. But without action the human toll will be tragic and the effect on our food supply will be critical failure. [FEMA], the [CDC], and state governments must include farmworkers and agricultural communities in their emergency response plans.

Susan L. Marquis

Dean, Pardee RAND Graduate School

Source: The RAND Blog

If people can come together around COVID-19, and all developments are showing that they can, then perhaps they can be equally innovative in tackling many of the more silent 'COVIDs' of the time—i.e., the less immediately impactful but equally urgent and important challenges associated with aging and frailty, mental health, cancer, comorbidities, and health inequalities as just some examples.

Sonja Marjanovic

Senior Research Leader and Head of THIS Institute-RAND Europe partnership

Source: The RAND Blog

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Nutrition Policy

Food Access: Challenges and Solutions Brought on by COVID-19

Why Obesity Rates Continue to Climb—and What Can Be Done to Stop It

Fighting Obesity: Why Chile Should Continue Placing 'Stop Signs' on Unhealthy Foods

What the World Can Learn from Chile's Obesity-Control Strategies

Why Nutrition Standards and Policies Should Continue

New Nutrition Labels Will Do Little to Bring Quality to American Diet

Lack of Uniformity in Menu Labeling Could Confuse Consumers

It's Hard to Eat Less When There Is Too Much on Your Plate

After Trans Fats, Target America's Overeating

Food Providers: Regulators Should Insist They 'First, Do No Harm'

Supermarkets Are the Problem

What's Behind the Obesity Epidemic? Easily Accessible Food, and Lots of It

Let's Regulate Food Like We Do Alcohol

The FDA Ban on Trans Fat Should Be Just the Beginning

Eating Better for Less

Can Improving the Options Improve Our Choices and Outcomes?

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