There is a pressing need to reduce both the prevalence and impact of obesity. This review begins with a discussion of the roles of treatment and prevention. Two overriding issues, weight bias and the addictive nature of food, are covered because of their importance not only to the individuals affected but also to public policy. We then cover promising policy areas in which changes can be implem...

This review summarizes current understanding of economic factors during the obesity epidemic and dispels some widely held, but incorrect, beliefs. Rising obesity rates coincided with increases in leisure time (rather than increased work hours), increased fruit and vegetable availability (rather than a decline in healthier foods), and increased exercise uptake. As a share of disposable income, A...

The food related lifestyle (FRL) model, widely used on European data, is applied to US data using a modified survey instrument to examine organic and local food consumption. Since empirical studies indicate these shoppers are motivated by environmental and health concerns and limited by access, the conceptual framework employs an environmental behavior model, Attitude Behavior Context (ABC), wh...

hazards in food. Examples include foodborne pathogens such as salmonella, naturally occurring mycotoxins, such as aflatoxin, or pesticide residues. These hazards can pose acute risks (consumers become ill immediately) or chronic risks (consumers’ risk of chronic illness is enhanced). Some hazards are easily controlled or detected while others occur naturally and may be difficult for producers t...

Food security has a dynamic notion during the time and may be affected by various domestic and global factors.Nevertheless, Iranian policy makers consider food security as same as self-sufficiency in agricultural food products, particularly wheat production. However, self-sufficiency can contribute to food security only if it is in coincidences with comparative advantage and sustainable resourc...

The ready-to-eat cereal industry is characterized by high concentration, high price-cost margins, large advertising to sales ratios, and numerous introductions of new products. Previous researchers have concluded that the ready-to-eat cereal industry is a classic example of an industry with nearly collusive pricing behavior and intense non-price competition. This paper empirically examines this...

Retail milk price responses to farm price changes were analyzed for Boston, Massachusetts, and Hartford, Connecticut. Prior research concluded asymmetries did not exist in the response of retail fluid milk prices to changes in farm prices. This study finds transmission rates were greater for the Compact period (100 – 120 percent) than the PreCompact period (66 – 88 percent). Short-run asymmetri...