Posts Tagged ‘food policy’

An unfortunate idea is gaining traction in food policy circles: to equate food – specifically ultra-processed food – with tobacco. Borrowing the rhetoric, litigation strategies, and moral framing of the anti-smoking movement, activists, influencers, and even policymakers now speak of “Big Food” as the new “Big Tobacco.” Last night, this idea even reached into the […]

People who know a thing or two about nutrition continue to puzzle over the strange dish of commerce and politics served up in the new Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In a new editorial for the BMJ, Marion Nestle, one of the most influential authorities in the world on food policy, is blunt. Political and commercial […]

For addressing diet-related diseases – especially obesity – a great deal of attention goes toward the demand for food in comparison to the supply. Think about all the effort that goes into nudging people toward healthier diets. Nutrition Facts labels insinuate what is “healthy” to eat and what is not. We have epic battles about […]

A new systematic review in Annals of Internal Medicine underscores something we’ve long said in obesity and nutrition science. The science of saturated fat is complex, and nuance is its first casualty when the headlines start spinning. A Risk-Stratified Analysis Steen and colleagues conducted a risk-stratified analysis of 17 randomized trials. It is the largest […]

As the world is coming around to the understanding that public health policy cannot neglect the need for obesity treatment, a question hangs in the air. What does this mean for obesity prevention strategies? This question – together with fast-changing market realities – begs another question. Will prevention policy or market dynamics reduce obesity more? […]

Thanks to the power of exposure bias, a chorus of studies that correlate ultra-processed foods consumption with obesity and chronic diseases has convinced many policy advocates that these foods are a scourge to be eradicated. “Higher taxes on UPFs” are a “priority action,” says The Lancet, to “put health before profit.” But this well-intentioned impulse […]

“Big food is taking over,” says Barry Popkin, adding an exclamation point in the New York Times to a growing roar of condemnation for ultra-processed foods. The occasion for this is the publication of three new papers – plus an editorial – all at once in The Lancet this week. Popkin was an author on […]

Marion Nestle has a new book that reflects decades of insights gleaned from navigating the perverse economy of food. It is well worth your time. Not because we agree with every word. But precisely because we do not and you may not either – yet her words reflect careful thought and consideration of how our […]

We’re packing our bags and scanning the meeting app for ObesityWeek in Atlanta, November 4-7. This promises to be a very intense week, with the biggest attendance yet for this signature meeting of the Obesity Society. The agenda for the week has a lot of options and we are still processing them all. But for […]