Wednesday, January 14, 2015
New Report Offers Framework to Analyze Effects of Potential Changes to the US Food System
To aid U.S. policymakers and other stakeholders who make decisions about the nation's food system, a new report from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council offers a framework for assessing the health, environmental, social, and economic effects of proposed changes to the system.
Often, making a change that affects one part of the food system for one purpose has consequences - intended or unintended - for other parts of the system, the report says. For example, a recommendation to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables to promote healthier diets raises questions about the potential environmental or social impacts of increasing their supply, such as driving a greater need for irrigation water or farm labor....