Globalized, industrialized food production has created numerous social problems in America as well as abroad. Though local movements for healthier eating have made progress over the last decade, there’s a long way to go.
Mark Bittman, author of How to Cook Everything, published an opinion piece in the New York Times with a few simple actions the United States can take to keep moving toward healthy eating.
Here are Bittman’s main points:
- End government subsidies on corn, soybeans, and other crops which primarily serve as raw material for processed foods.
- Begin subsidizing small farms and markets which sell food for direct consumption.
- Break up the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) regulatory power, which has a conflict of interest between expanding agricultural markets and providing nutrition education.
- Empower the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ensure the safety of our food supply.
- Outlaw concentrated animal feed operations (CAFOs).
- Encourage and subsidize home cooking.
- Tax the sale of unhealthy foods.
- Reduce waste and encourage recycling.
- Mandate truth in labeling.
- Invest in sustainable agriculture research.