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Growing a better food industry |
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Can the same for-profit motive that created an unhealthy food environment be used to encourage reform? Forward thinking food executives are beginning to see that consumer demand will support healthier alternatives. The increased willingness of some activist officials to protect the public health creates a sense of urgency for the industry to change voluntarily before it is forced to do so. We want to encourage the food industry to act in the public interest without sacrificing its bottom line. That is why the Rudd Center pioneered safe space meetings, no-holds-barred discussions between industry, activists and other stakeholders. All participants agree to ground rules, including absolute confidentiality. We see great promise for this format and are delighted that we’ve successfully negotiated with major industry players to attend a meeting on food reformulation at the Rudd Center. While we welcome its input, we continue to hold the food and agriculture industry accountable. We are currently in discussions with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to develop our role as a watchdog of food marketing to children. We have also played a critical role in calling attention to industry bias in nutrition studies. In providing space to the Yale Sustainable Food Project, we support good agricultural practices in Connecticut and a healthy diet for Yale students. Even more critically, we hold up an example of what the food environment could be. » Next: There ought to be a law |
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©2007 Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity, Yale University. |
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