title: A Food Systems Approach To Healthy Food And Agriculture Policy.
abstract: Food has become a prominent focus of US public health policy. The emphasis has been almost exclusively on what Americans eat, not what is grown or how it is grown. A field of research, policy, and practice activities addresses the food-health-agriculture nexus, yet the work is still often considered "alternative" to the mainstream. This article outlines the diverse ways in which agriculture affects public health. It then describes three policy issues: farm-to-school programming, sustainability recommendations in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and antibiotic use in animal agriculture. These issues illustrate the progress, challenges, and public health benefits of taking a food systems approach that brings together the food, agriculture, and public health fields.
authors.affiliation: Roni A. Neff (rneff1@jhu.edu) is an assistant professor of environmental health sciences at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and program director of food system sustainability and public health at the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, both in Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Roni A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Neff
authors.affiliation: Kathleen Merrigan is a professor in public policy at the George Washington University, in Washington, D.C. She was previously the deputy secretary of agriculture in the Department of Agriculture.
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Merrigan
authors.affiliation: David Wallinga is a senior health officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council, in San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wallinga
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D000072001:Diet, Healthy; D006078:Government Programs; D006291:Health Policy; D011050:Policy Making; D014481:United States
keywords: Agriculture; Determinants Of Health; Environmental Health; Food systems