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Nutrition Policy

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Commentary
Food Access: Challenges and Solutions Brought on by COVID-19
For the 14.3 million American households already experiencing food insecurity before the pandemic, shutdowns and restrictions have created new layers of hardship. Tremendous efforts are already underway to help. But the weeks to come will surely demand more creative solutions from the public and private sectors.
Mar 31, 2020
Commentary
The Biden Administration's Chance to Improve SNAP and Nutrition Support
If policymakers were to make permanent the relaxed rules forced by the COVID-19 pandemic, it could be a start to increased racial equity in SNAP. Given broad public support for SNAP, making benefits easier to access, particularly for those already eligible, could be a bipartisan priority.
May 19, 2021

Explore Nutrition Policy

Journal Article
Associations of a National Tax on Non-Essential High Calorie Foods with Changes in Consumer Prices
This study evaluates the price effect of Mexico's tax on high calorie non-essential foods and shows that prices of taxed foods increased soon after the tax and that higher price persisted for at least two years.
Sep 15, 2022
Journal Article
Provision of School Meals Across the EU: An Overview of Rationales, Evidence, Facilitators and Barriers
This research for EPIC examines the available evidence behind the provision of free or subsidised meals to children via schools across the EU. It includes an overview of rationales, evidence, facilitators and barriers in their provision.
Oct 1, 2021
Journal Article
SNAP Participants Improved Food Security And Diet After A Full-Service Supermarket Opened In An Urban Food Desert
This study explored two federal programs: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and Healthy Food Financing Initiative. The results suggest that HFFI amplifies SNAP participation on improving food security and diet for low-income Americans.
Sep 24, 2020
Commentary
We Are What We Eat: Understanding Food Consumption for Healthier and More Sustainable Diets
Despite a rise in ethical and sustainable eating, most people still make their food choices based on price, convenience, and taste. What policies can help support more healthy decisionmaking?
Aug 12, 2020
Report
Food consumption in the UK: Trends, attitudes and drivers
To help inform policy and research around food consumption, RAND Europe conducted a rapid evidence assessment on food consumption trends, drivers and interventions in the UK, and identified four key priority areas for consideration by policymakers.
Aug 11, 2020
Commentary
Why Obesity Rates Continue to Climb—and What Can Be Done to Stop It
Too many Americans are being harmed by a food environment that lacks the necessary standards to make it easier for people to maintain a healthy weight. Policies aimed at portion control and cleaning up the food swamp could make a difference.
Apr 26, 2018
Journal Article
Evaluation of the Dissemination of SNaX, a Middle School-Based Obesity Prevention Intervention, Within a Large US School District
This evaluation found that that the Students for Nutrition and eXercise ("SNAX") was acceptable to schools, but only a handful had the capacity to maintain the program, and it did not affect eating behaviors in schools.
Apr 11, 2018
Journal Article
A Natural Experiment Opportunity in Two Low-Income Urban Food Desert Communities: Research Design, Community Engagement Methods, and Baseline Results
This article describes the design and methods of a study intended to measure the impact on the food environment of a new supermarket in a low-income, predominantly Black neighborhood.
Mar 28, 2018
Journal Article
Can the Introduction of a Full-Service Supermarket in a Food Desert Improve Residents' Economic Status and Health?
Locating a new supermarket in a low-income neighborhood may improve residents' economic well-being and health. Policymakers should consider broad impacts of neighborhood investment that could translate into improved health for residents of underserved neighborhoods.
Mar 28, 2018
Report
How Calorie Labels on Menus Affect Consumers
In traditional restaurant settings, displaying the calorie content on menus did not affect consumer satisfaction and reduced the amount of food ordered by 38 calories. This is a decrease of 7 percent, a notable difference considering the average American consumes one-third of his or her food calories away from home.
Mar 28, 2018
Commentary
Why Chile Should Continue Placing 'Stop Signs' on Unhealthy Foods
By instituting its innovative food warning label policies, Chile has become a beacon of light to countries around the world. The new government would do well to consider why it should maintain these policies, which in the long run will benefit business and the country as a whole.
Mar 19, 2018
Commentary
What the World Can Learn from Chile's Obesity-Control Strategies
Nearly 30 years into the ongoing global epidemic of obesity and chronic diseases, Chile has taken the lead in identifying and implementing obesity-control strategies that could prove to be the beginning of the end of the epidemic. The country's success on this front can serve as a lesson plan other countries could follow.
Dec 30, 2017
Infographic
U.S. Obesity Epidemic: A Look at the Data
Obesity in America has reached epidemic proportions. The forces driving this trend include marketing practices at grocery stores, friends' junk-food preferences, and nutritional messages that parents send their kids.
Oct 3, 2017
Commentary
Why Nutrition Standards and Policies Should Continue
Rolling back nutrition standards means increasing risks for Americans and does not bode well for population health. Every effort should be made to maintain strong nutrition standards to protect the health of all Americans.
May 25, 2017
Journal Article
The Effect of State Competitive Food and Beverage Regulations on Childhood Overweight and Obesity
Students in states that regulate “competitive” foods and beverages—those offered or sold outside the school lunch program--were less likely to be overweight or obese than students in states with no such policies.
Apr 4, 2017
Journal Article
Risk Factors for Childhood Stunting in 137 Developing Countries: A Comparative Risk Assessment Analysis at Global, Regional, and Country Levels
Efforts to reduce stunting in developing countries need to include ways to improve a family's living environment and nutrition.
Nov 15, 2016
Journal Article
Where Do Food Desert Residents Buy Most of Their Junk Food? Supermarkets
Households in a food desert bought most of their food and beverages—healthy and unhealthy—at full-service supermarkets.
Oct 20, 2016
Commentary
New Nutrition Labels Will Do Little to Bring Quality to American Diet
Although good intentions led to the new nutrition labels, it is unlikely that they will improve the quality of the American diet. The label changes have not been tested in a real-world setting with the various factors that influence what people buy.
Aug 19, 2016

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Researcher Spotlight

Sydne J. Newberry

Research Communications Analyst

Sydne Newberry is a communications analyst at the RAND Corporation. As a nutritionist, she has also served as a project lead and literature reviewer for systematic reviews of evidence in the areas of nutrition, endocrinology, military health, and integrative medicine. She has led systematic…
Tamara Dubowitz

Senior Policy Researcher

Tamara Dubowitz (she/her) is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation and faculty at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. Trained in social epidemiology with concentrations in maternal and child health and public health nutrition, her research focuses on the role of place, or geography,…

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