Policies for Produce

Systematic partnerships between two groups, obesity prevention advocates and food systems stakeholders, are vital to developing comprehensive policies that address these factors and improve health.

Poor nutrition is one of the leading causes of the obesity epidemic. Several factors contribute to poor nutrition, including the limited availability of healthy food, legal barriers to growing produce in urban areas, and the excessive availability and marketing of unhealthy food.

Recognizing this potential for collaboration, we co-hosted the Food Policy Council Convening in November 2013 with the Healthy Farms, Healthy People Coalition (HFHP). The convening was the first meeting of its kind, bringing together local and state food policy council representatives and national leaders in public health, agriculture, and food systems policy.

This report summarizes themes and highlights from the convening. It includes an overview of food policy council work, identifies food policy goals that align with obesity prevention objectives, and suggests strategies for furthering these partnerships. The report can encourage collaboration between food policy councils and obesity prevention stakeholders by identifying shared policy goals and highlighting opportunities for these groups to support each other.