Sustainable Diets Food for Healthy People and a Healthy Planet: Workshop Summary (2014) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
6 Moving Forward
6 Moving Forward
Pages 107-126
The Chapter Skim interface presents what we've algorithmically identified as the most significant single chunk of text within every page in the chapter.
Select key terms on the right to highlight them within pages of the chapter.
From page 107... ...
Loewenstein discussed how behavioral economics can contribute to a greater understanding of the food environment and the choices that consumers make and how that understanding is providing policy makers with new approaches to managing the obesity epidemic. He discussed a variety of approaches to improving diet inspired by behavioral economics that have been successful to varying degrees, but concluded by expressing concern that many of the interventions that could be most beneficial, like taxing unhealthy foods, are unlikely to be implemented.
|
From page 108... ...
• A shared vision between the traditionally siloed nutrition and envi ronmental resource research communities appears to be emerging around the notion of a sustainable diet. (Olson)
|
From page 109... ...
In a speech at the Grocery Manufacturers Association Conference in March 2010, First Lady Michelle Obama discussed these multiple causes. The first is sedentary lifestyle.
|
From page 110... ...
. However, between 1980 and 2000 -- when the obesity epidemic went into full swing -- the relative price of food fell about 14 percent, with the relative prices of processed foods dropping disproportionately.
|
From page 111... ...
As an example of changing social norms, according to consumer surveys conducted by The NPD Group,3 in 1985, 55 percent of homemakers surveyed completely agreed with the statement, "People who are thin look a lot more attractive." In 2009 only 23 percent of homemakers surveyed completely agreed. As another example of changing social norms, other NPD Group data show that the percent of adults on any diet has been decreasing over time for both men and women.
|
From page 112... ...
"I think if the food industry had realized how little the impact was," Loewenstein said, "they wouldn't have bothered to fight it." The NYC calorie posting policy was motivated by what Loewenstein described as a "flawed" study: Bassett et al.
|
From page 113... ...
before you roll them out." Based on the notion that posting calorie information does not work because people do not know how to interpret and use the information, NYC regulators in launched an educational campaign publicizing daily calorie recommendations. In the second study Loewenstein found "surprising" he and his colleagues assessed whether providing people with calorie recommendations makes a difference (Downs et al., 2013)
|
From page 114... ...
(2012) found that displaying healthier foods in a cafeteria lunch line led to an increase in healthy food consumption (from 33 to 36 percent of total consumption)
|
From page 115... ...
In a randomized controlled trial on financial incentives and weight loss, he and colleagues tested two incentive conditions: lottery and deposit contract (Volpp et al., 2008)
|
From page 116... ...
Neither the food industry nor the schools, movie theaters, or other stakeholders directly bear the huge costs to society of the health consequences of unhealthy food. Real change is going to require realigning incentives by taxing the production and sale of unhealthy foods, subsidizing the production and sale of healthy foods, mandating proportionate pricing of junk food (e.g., ending super-sizing)
|
From page 117... ...
The cozy relationships that were established translated into billions of dollars of profitability for the pharmaceutical companies. Yach described that particular example as one with a "perverse" long-term effect, but other incentives could be aligned with common goals around sustainable diets.
|
From page 118... ...
Tide has cornered a huge proportion of the detergent market with a product that uses less stuff; the entire detergent industry has followed suit by offering tiny packets of detergent that consumers can simply throw into their dishwashers. As a result, less detergent is being used and less environmental damage is being done.
|
From page 119... ...
. Meanwhile, there has been very little discussion of palm oil, which Yach described as the "nexus of bads." Palm oil production has enormously destructive effects on the environment.
|
From page 120... ...
Olson called for clear E agreement around how to move forward with respect to building an environmentally stable food supply, not just with respect to climate change and greenhouse gas emissions but also with respect to land protection and resource overuse. Olson noted that aqua culture might help solve overfishing problems and that improved approaches to domestic animal agricultural production might help to increase production efficiencies.
|
From page 121... ...
Eakman cited what she referred to as 5 Twice during the workshop, Lisa Eakman, M.A., The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, Illinois, was invited to offer her reflections on the overall workshop discussion. This section summarizes her remarks.
|
From page 122... ...
Cassidy described how a decrease in U.S. meat consumption would yield significant savings in land and water and greenhouse gas emissions.
|
From page 123... ...
(See Chapters 1, 3, and 4, respectively, for summaries of Merrigan's, Cassidy's, and Wilde's presentations.) Moving Forward At the conclusion of the workshop, Eakman identified four major take-home messages from the Day Two workshop discussion on available options and approaches for developing a sustainable U.S.
|
From page 124... ...
Eakman referred to Lang's suggestion that the United Nations could play a role by issuing a joint World Health Organization/ Food and Agriculture Organization/United Nations Environmental Programme report or by establishing an intergovernmental panel on sustainable diets with the same stature as the Intergovernmen tal Panel on Climate Change. Lang also suggested establishing watchdog groups to monitor the implementation and impact of the dietary guidelines and serve as an information resource for policy makers.
|
From page 125... ...
2011. Changes in energy content of lunchtime purchases from fast food restaurants after introduction of calorie labelling: Cross sectional customer surveys.
|
From page 126... ...
The contribution of expanding portion sizes to the US obesity epidemic. American Journal of Public Health 97(2)
|
Key Terms
This material may be derived from roughly machine-read images, and so is provided only to facilitate research.
More
information on Chapter Skim is available.