#10: How Food Politics Affect Your Health, Part I

Corporate interests and food politics shape nutrition recommendations.

This two-part podcast with Frances was a wonderful opportunity to touch on various key aspects of food and nutrition politics – from agricultural policy and food justice issues to Big Ag’s fight against the labeling of genetically modified foods.

It’s important to understand that food and nutrition policy does not exist in a vacuum. Rather, it is a reflection of socioeconomic policies that touch on everything from labor laws to international trade agreements to supplemental nutrition assistance. In order to grasp the totality of today’s food environment, one must learn who – and what – influences the crucial decisions that determine how much we pay for certain foods, what children are fed in school cafeterias, and how tightly (or weakly) food safety is regulated.

For those of you new to the idea of food and nutrition politics, I share some of my favorite books, websites, and thought leaders at the end of the podcast. This is a vast field with much to learn. It is my hope that this podcast will leave you with a healthful hunger for more knowledge.

Blog post written by Andy Bellatti

Read the full transcript here.

Lots of people are confused about nutrition messages and why they are so conflicting. This isn’t always so easy to sort out as a Dietitian, let alone explain to concerned consumers. Help someone out who you know is struggling to make sense of it by sharing the podcast link with them. It might be a huge help (and a BIG eye-opener).

(Need help downloading the podcast? Click here.)

Enjoy,

Frances

Andy Bellatti, MS, RD is a Las Vegas-based nutritionist with a plant-centric and whole-food focus. His work has been published in Grist, The Huffington Post, Today’s Dietitian, Food Safety News, and Civil Eats, among others. He is as passionate about healthful eating as he is about food politics, deceptive Big Food marketing, and issues of sustainability, animal welfare, and social justice in our food system. He is the creator of the Small Bites blog (which, though now closed, spans five years and 2,000 posts). You can also follow Andy on Twitter and Facebook .

Resources:

www.civileats.com

www.andybellatti.com

http://www.appetiteforprofit.com/2012/10/15/how-did-my-professions-conference-get-hijacked-by-big-food/

http://grist.org/sustainable-food/lets-put-an-end-to-dietary-tribalism/

http://smallbites.andybellatti.com/front-of-package-labeling-an-exercise-in-futility/

http://smallbites.andybellatti.com/mindful-eating-2-0-beyond-whats-on-your-plate/

http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/10/pesticides-are-good-for-you/#.UPNFDuhb5Ok

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