This book uses an economic framework to examine the consequences of U.S. farm and food policies for obesity, its social costs, and the implications for government policy. Drawing on evidence from economics, public health, nutrition, and medicine, the authors evaluate past and potential future roles of policies such as farm subsidies, public agricultural R&D, food assistance programs, taxes on particular foods (such as sodas) or nutrients (such as fat), food labeling laws, and advertising controls. The findings are mostly negative¿it is generally not economic to use farm and food policies as obesity policy¿but some food policies that combine incentives and information have potential to make a worthwhile impact. This book is accessible to advanced undergraduate and graduate students across the sciences and social sciences, as well as to decision-makers in the public, private, and not-for-profit sectors.

Winner of the Quality of Research Discovery Award from the Australasian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.

Julian M. Alston is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of California, Davis, USA, where he studies and teaches about government policy affecting agriculture and food, including the economics of agricultural innovation, food and nutrition policy, and the global challenges of poverty, malnutrition, and obesity.

Abigail M. Okrent is Research Economist at the United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, where she researches the role of food policies and economic determinants of demand in food choices and diet quality.

1. Introduction.- 2. Obesity in America.- 3. Consequences of Obesity.- 4. Causes of Obesity: Individual Physiology and Consumption Choices.- 5. Causes of Obesity: External Influences.- 6. Roles for Government: In Principle.- 7. U.S. Farm Subsidies and Obesity.- 8. Agriculture R&D, Technology, and Obesity.- 9. Fat Taxes and Thin Subsidies as Obesity Policy.- 10. Other Food Polices as Obesity Policy.- 11. Summary and Synthesis.