Key Takeaways
- Texas A&M’s Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA) and the Chicago Council’s Center on Global Food and Agriculture have announced members for three committees.
- The committees will work with The Responsive Agriculture Task Force to develop a national roadmap for responsive agriculture solutions.
- The focus areas include reducing diet-related chronic diseases, securing nutrition equity, and transforming agricultural ecosystems.
- The USDA Agricultural Research Service funds the study to encourage health-promoting food decisions.
- The committees comprise national leaders and experts from various fields, including nutrition, agriculture, and public health.
Today, the Texas A&M Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture (IHA) and the Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Center on Global Food and Agriculture announced the formation of three committees. These committees will collaborate with The Responsive Agriculture Task Force to develop a national roadmap for responsive agriculture solutions.
Objectives and Focus Areas
The first committee will focus on Reducing Diet-Related Chronic Disease. Two other committees will support it: the Committee on Securing Nutrition Equity Across the Food Environment and the Committee on Transforming Agricultural Ecosystems and the Agriculture-Food Value Chain. According to IHA, Responsive Agriculture aims to create an agricultural system and food environment that promotes health through nutrition while also being economically robust and environmentally sustainable.
Funding and Goals
The United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) funds the study. The overarching goal is to encourage health-promoting food decisions that can reduce the high rates of diet-related chronic diseases in America. This is the first study to include multiple dimensions of the food system, food environment, and social and behavioral factors affecting food choices.
Committee Members and Expertise
The committees are comprised of national leaders and experts in various fields. For example, the Committee on Reducing Diet-Related Chronic Disease includes Cathie Woteki, Ph.D., a Food Science and Human Nutrition Professor at Iowa State University, and Cindy Davis, Ph.D., the USDA-ARS National Program Leader for Nutrition, Food Safety, and Quality. Similarly, the Committee on Securing Nutrition Equity Across the Food Environment includes Christina Economos, Ph.D., Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.
Future Implications
The committees aim to evaluate scientific evidence and propose paths forward to achieve a food environment that supports health-promoting dietary patterns. They will consider various factors like age, life stage, culture, and access to nutrition. The insights generated will be critical for meeting the diverse needs of individuals, communities, and systems.
Photo by David Rodezno on Unsplash
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