Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-hc48f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T05:45:56.698Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Food policies: a threat to health?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 March 2007

Tim Lobstein
Tim Lobstein
Affiliation:
The Food Commission UK, 94 White Lion Street, London N1 9PF, UK
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Food policies deliver large quantities of food relatively safely, but they are failing to deliver healthy diets. Policies fall into three broad categories: the supply of sufficient amounts of food (food security); the provision of food free from contamination (food safety); the provision of a healthy diet available to all (nutritional quality). These three aspects are dealt with by institutions that rarely engage with each other, let alone coordinate their strategies. Greater financial support has been given to agricultural policy than to any other joint EU endeavour. In the last decade food safety has dominated headlines and has influenced recent changes to EU food policies. New food authorities and agencies have been established and ministerial responsibilities have been redefined. Yet, it is nutrition, or rather `mis-nutrition', that is the largest single cause of death and disease within the region, and indeed worldwide. This need not be the case. Nutrition and dietary policies may find themselves in close alliance with policies for sustainable agriculture. However, the change in thinking that will be required will mean reconsidering the role of commercial food production. Successful nutrition policies may yet prove to be the next major step in the improvement of public health.

Keywords

Food policyAgricultureDietSustainability
Type
Meeting Report
Information
Proceedings of the Nutrition Society , Volume 61 , Issue 4 , November 2002 , pp. 579 - 585
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2002

References

ECOTEC (2001) Ecological Footprinting Options Brief and Executive Summary, PE 297.571, European Parliament: Scientific and Technological Options Assessment .Birmingham: ECOTEC Research and Consulting Ltd.Google Scholar
Foedevaredirektoratet (2000) Denmark: Top Priority on Food Safety .Soborg, Denmark: The Danish Government.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization (2002a) Food Balance Sheets, Statistical Database. Rome: FAO. Available at: http://apps.fao.org (accessed May 2002).Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization (2002b) Focus: The Developing World's New Burden - Obesity (1) .Rome: FAO. Available at: www.fao.org/focus/e/obesity/obes1.htm (accessed May 2002).Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization (2002c) Focus: The Developing World's New Burden - Obesity (2) .Rome: FAO. Available at: www.fao.org/focus/e/obesity/obes2.htm (accessed May 2002).Google Scholar
Forte, JG, Miguel, JM, Miguel, MJ, de Padua, F & Rose, G (1989) Salt and blood pressure: a community trial. Journal of Human Hypertension 3, 179–184.Google ScholarPubMed
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1994) Dietary and Nutritional Survey of British Adults: Further Analysis. London: H. M. Stationery Office.Google Scholar
National Institute of Public Health (1997) Determinants of the Burden of Disease in the EU .Stockholm: NIPH.Google Scholar
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (1998) Impediments to Efficiency in the Agro-food Chain in Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia. Agricultural Policy Papers no. 1998–02, CCNM/AGR/PP(98)50. Paris: OECD.Google Scholar
Pimentel, D, Houser, J, Preiss, E, White, O, Fang, H, Mesnick, L, Barsky, T, Tariche, S, Schreck, J & Alpert, S (1997) Water resources, agriculture, the environment and society. BioScience 47, 97–106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Puska, P (2000) Nutrition and mortality: the Finnish experience. Acta Cardiologica 55, 213–220.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rees, W (1999) Global change and ecological integrity: Quantifying the limits to growth. In Ecology and Heath: A Discussion Document, p. 34 [Soskolne, CJ and Bertollini, R, editors]. Rome: WHO European Centre for Environmental Health.Google Scholar
Spedding, CRW (1990) The effect of dietary changes on agriculture. In The Social and Economic Contexts of Coronary Prevention, pp. 57–64 [Lewis, B and Assmann, G, editors]. London: Current Medical Literature.Google Scholar
Swedish Environment Protection Agency (2001) A Sustainable Food Supply Chain .Report no. 4966. Stockholm: Swedish Environment Protection Agency.Google Scholar
Vartiainen, V, Puska, P, Pekkanen, J, Tuomilehto, T & Jousilahti, P (1994) Changes in risk factors explain changes in mortality from ischaemic heart disease in Finland. British Medical Journal 309, 23–27.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
World Health Organization (1991) Diet, Nutrition and the Prevention of Chronic Diseases. Executive Summary, WHO/CPL/CVD/NUT/91.1. Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2000) World Health Report 2000 .Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Health Organization (2001) WHO Global Database on Body Mass Index .Geneva: WHO.Google Scholar
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (1988) Healthy Nutrition: Preventing nutrition-related diseases in Europe. WHO Regional Publications, European Series no. 24. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.Google Scholar
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (2000) CINDI Dietary Guide. Countrywide Integrated Noncommunicable Disease Intervention Programme, EUR/00/5018028. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.Google Scholar
Williams, C, Wiseman, M & Buttriss, J (editors) (1999) Food-based dietary guidelines - a staged approach. British Journal of Nutrition 81, Suppl. 2, S29–S153.Google Scholar