Agricultural News
Growing "Food Movement" Puts Country's Food System and Policy Proposals Under the Microscope
Thu, 16 Nov 2017 11:42:21 CST
As America's population has shifted from a farm-based economy to one driven by jobs in urban areas, a smaller number of farms are producing the vast majority of the country's food.
That transformation, along with a change in attitudes about how food is produced, has led to what is known as the "food movement" - mainly made up of groups critical of food production practices and farm policies.
"The term really applies to individuals and organizations seeking to remake our food system and move us away from industrial agriculture," says Jayson Lusk, best-selling author on food and social issues and head of the Department of Agricultural Economics at Purdue University.
Lusk examines the issues brought up by members of the "food movement" such as soda taxes, increased food labeling, and local and organic food production in his paper "Evaluating the Policies of the Food Movement," which was selected to appear in the journal Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy (AEPP).
"The critique is a bit misplaced," Lusk said. "Even if you agree these challenges are ones that should be addressed, are the policy proposals really going to meaningfully address those challenges? Will they bring about the changes (members of the food movement) are looking for?"
Lusk suggests the food movement is gaining traction, and it's time to "take the critiques seriously and evaluate the proposals seriously." So how is that best handled and who should come to the table if this culture change is going to continue?
If you are interested in setting up an interview with Jayson Lusk, please contact Jay Saunders in the AAEA Business Office. This article was also part of the AEPP journal's podcast series, which you can access by clicking here.
Source - Agricultural & Applied Economics Association
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