This third edition of Food Policy in the United States offers a timely update to the leading textbook dedicated to all aspects of food policy in the United States.
This book begins with the economic interests of farmers and food producers and then moves on to examine nutrition policy, food justice, food security, and the environment. Finding motivation in real-world controversies and debates, chapters cover domestic agriculture, international agricultural trade, food and beverage manufacturing, food retail and restaurants, food safety, dietary guidance, food labeling, advertising, and federal food assistance programs for the poor. Building on the success of the second edition, which received the Distinguished Quality of Communication award from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), this new edition has been revised and updated, offering greater attention both to food justice issues, and to economic methods. It covers policy changes since the 2018 Farm Bill, the publication of the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the 2021 update to the "Thrifty Food Plan", and President Donald Trump's approach to food and agricultural trade. The impact of COVID-19 and the continuing climate crisis are examined, alongside stalled child nutrition reauthorization legislation, reforms in food-labeling, and immigration policy. The online Instructor and Student Resources include supplemental economic appendices, problem sets, activities, and exercises: www.routledge.com/cw/Wilde. This book makes U.S. food policy more comprehensible to those inside and outside the agri-food sector whose interests and aspirations have been ignored.
This book is essential reading for all students, researchers, and policymakers seeking to understand U.S. food policy from a wide range of interdisciplinary backgrounds, including food studies, agricultural and food economics and policy, public health and nutrition, and public policy.
Biography
Parke Wilde is a food economist and Professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, U.S.A. Previously, he worked for USDA’s Economic Research Service and was Director of Design for the SNAP Healthy Incentives Pilot evaluation. He has been a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Food Forum and is on the scientific and technical advisory committee for Menus of Change, an initiative to advance the health and sustainability of the restaurant industry. He is co-organizer of a university climate initiative (flyingless.org) and directs the USDA-funded Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Partnership.
"I strongly recommend Professor Wilde's book on food policy. It is a thoughtful, very readable, and comprehensive review of the multitude of policy issues impacting the production, consumption, and health of the very complex but critically important dimensions of this most important part of the American economy. As a former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, I had to deal with so many of the issues raised in the book, all of which have become very high-profile challenges to both the private and public sectors, domestically and globally."
Dan Glickman, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture 1995–2001
"Parke Wilde’s revised edition of Food Policy in the United States is far more than an introduction—it offers a comprehensive and accessible examination of critical food policy topics, from agricultural policy to food labeling, nutrition, and the food justice movement. Wilde expertly blends rigorous analysis with timely updates that reflect significant changes since the 2018 Farm Bill, peeling back the curtain on the complexities and forces that shape our food system. This edition is an indispensable resource for my graduate food policy course and anyone looking to engage with and influence the food policy landscape."
David L. Ortega, Professor and Noel W. Stuckman Chair in Food Economics and Policy, Michigan State University
"Wilde's Food Policy in the United States is the rare policy text that makes difficult concepts accessible to those new to the field. For my graduate students in Food Studies, the book allows them to see the importance of government decisions to all aspects of the food system, and begin to understand how and why such decisions are made. My students' professional interests run from agriculture through retail and restaurants to waste management; Wilde's book speaks to all of them."
Beth Weitzman, Professor of Health and Public Policy at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development
"Food Policy in the United States is the only book that covers the most important food policy topics from an economic perspective. Indeed, it uniquely addresses economic theories, models, and food policy examples in a way that is accessible to readers of all backgrounds and interests. Dr. Parke Wilde's third edition of Food Policy in the United States could not come at a better time. Much has changed in the food policy landscape over the last several years and the third edition expertly captures and explains these changing times."
Jennifer L. Pomeranz, Associate Professor of Public Health Policy and Management, New York University
Reviews of the Second Edition
"Parke Wilde provides an indispensable introduction to U.S. food policy, and he helps shed much needed light on some of the complexities of the modern agriculture system, and how it is affected by food and farm policy. Although I am less sanguine than Wilde about the ability of food policy to provide major fixes, he helps provide a solid foundation and framework for understanding the merits and demerits of food policy proposals."
Jayson Lusk, Distinguished Professor and Head of the Department of Agricultural Economics, Purdue University, U.S.A.
"Parke Wilde’s new second edition provides an excellent foundation for my course in Agricultural and Food Policy. I greatly appreciate the diverse viewpoints considered and the broad range of topics covered."
Larry Lev, Professor and Extension Economist, Department of Applied Economics, Oregon State University, U.S.A.
Reviews of the First Edition
"Food Policy in the United States is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how our food system really works or to take action to change it. Professor Wilde provides a tough but balanced and decidedly nonpartisan overview of the facts behind the full range of policy areas – among them agricultural support, safety, dietary guidance – that affect food production and consumption. If you want to join the food movement to improve the system, here’s how to find out where to start."
Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University and author of Food Politics
"More than ever before, those of us who care about U.S. nutrition policy recognize that we need to pay attention to a whole wide world of policy and economic issues – including farm policy, food manufacturing, supermarkets, anti-hunger programs, and more. For my students—and my colleagues—it can seem daunting! Without oversimplifying, Food Policy in the United States opens the doorway to these broader conversations and debates."
Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., Nutrition scientist, professor, and best-selling author of the Strong Women book series
"This is a very engaging book on the key issues of the food systems and policies today. The topics and material make an excellent foundation for classroom discussion and learning. Parke Wilde asks provocative questions throughout that help to engage the reader and reinforce the importance of trying to understand the economic factors and policy process. I look forward to having this book available for students!"
Helen H. Jensen, Professor of Economics and Head of the Food and Nutrition Policy Division at the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University
"Substance beyond many populist food politics-type books which have surged over the past decade distinguishes Dr. Wilde's contribution. His knowledgeable approach to underlying market (and government) failure which motivates the food policy topic of concern comes from his own background and experience in academia, government, and working with NGOs. Occasional notes on advocacy come as a refreshing ‘so what’ for the reader."
Neal Hooker, Professor of Food Policy in the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Ohio State University
