Implementation Of Food Policies Research Articles

Design and evaluation of a multi-component audit and feedback intervention for implementation of healthy food policy in school canteens

efficient CSE of R1 and R2 and coupling to downstream signalling effectors including AMPK, AKT and ERK in cell lines and in vivo in mouse skeletal muscle respectively (all p < 0.05). These results provide increasing evidence that CSE of R1 and R2 is under complex, differential regulation and is essential for coupling adiponectin to downstream signalling effectors. Further studies are required to elaborate the detailed molecular mechanisms that may provide novel therapeutic opportunities.

Ontario Schools’ Readiness for School Food and Beverage Policy Implementation

School food policies are developed to influence students' eating habits and ultimately impact students' overall health and well-being, but little is known about schools' readiness for implementing these policies. The purpose of this study was to examine schools' organizational readiness to implement Ontario's School Food and Beverage Policy (Program and Policy Memorandum No. 150, 2010). In addition to policy analysis, six principals and two vice-principals from six elementary and secondary schools who were directly involved in the planning and preparation for the policy were interviewed in three district school boards in Southern Ontario. Findings suggest that there is a need for more effective dissemination, in-service training, and education for school stakeholders in order to engage and stimulate interest and compliance of the nutrition standards. Finding nutritious foods that are appealing for students; as well as developing supportive partnerships within and outside the school to reinforce consistent messages to students are both areas that require further attention. The results of this research serve as a framework for potential solutions to school nutrition policies, strategies, and interventions and may also inform key stakeholders and policy makers in adapting and refining policies as a means of supporting the implementation process for successful outcomes.

Institutional reforms and agricultural policy process: lessons from Democratic Republic of Congo

Attaining food security for all requires well-functioning institutions and policy process that are effective in designing and implementing food and agricultural policies and programs. This paper assesses early stages of the decentralization and institutional reforms in the policymaking processes in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It develops a conceptual framework and adopts an innovative mapping tool to identify capacity and incentive challenges impeding the effective design and implementation of food and agricultural policy and institutional reform processes. We found that decentralized platforms for policy dialogues have the potential to improve civil society participation in local-level and national-level policy and planning processes. However, their success depends on organizational and human capacity strengthening, financial sustainability, effective participation of the civil society, and demonstrated impact of their participation.JEL ClassificationD72; D74; D78; Q18

Creating healthy food environments through global benchmarking of government nutrition policies and food industry practices

Unhealthy processed food products are increasingly dominating over healthy foods, making food and nutrition environments unhealthier. Development and implementation of strong government healthy food policies is currently being circumvented in many countries by powerful food industry lobbying. In order to increase accountability of both governments and the private sector for their actions, and improve the healthiness of food environments, INFORMAS (the International Network for Food and Obesity/non-communicable diseases (NCDs) Research, Monitoring and Action Support) has recently been founded to systematically and comprehensively monitor food environments and policies in countries of varying size and income. This will enable INFORMAS to rank both governments and private sector companies globally according to their actions on food environments. Identification of those countries which have the healthiest food and nutrition policies and using them as international benchmarks against which national progress towards best practice can be assessed, should support reductions in global obesity and diet-related NCDs.

School food in England: Are we getting it right?

School food in <scp>E</scp>ngland: Are we getting it right?

Farms or Freeways? Citizen Engagement and Municipal Governance in Edmonton's Food and Agriculture Strategy Development

In the mid- to late 1990s, most provincial governments in Canada downloaded or devolved authority for land use planning to local levels of government. In Alberta, this shifted responsibility for the protection of farmland to municipalities. However, a strong oil and gas economy and rapid growth of Alberta's urban centers in recent decades has resulted in significant loss of prime farmland to urban and industrial development. In Edmonton, Alberta's capital city, citizens' concerns over food security and the protection of farmland within city boundaries shaped the 2010 municipal development plan, which links land use planning with food and agriculture, and also paved the way for an Edmonton agri-food strategy. In this exploratory case study we examine factors shaping Edmonton's food policy development and implementation, and the impact on prime farmland in the city's outer limits. Despite progressive changes in policy due to strong citizen support, municipal council's approval of a food and agriculture strategy lacking hard targets subsequently set the stage for continued urban sprawl and loss of prime farmland. This study illuminates the conflicts between citizens' demand for sustainable urban food systems and the development narrative still prevalent in many North American cities. We conclude the paper by discussing the key levers required to ensure the transformational context required to institute holistic food system strategies.

From policy to practice: implementation of physical activity and food policies in schools.

PurposePublic policies targeting the school setting are increasingly being used to address childhood obesity; however, their effectiveness depends on their implementation. This study explores the factors which impeded or facilitated the implementation of publicly mandated school-based physical activity and nutrition guidelines in the province of British Columbia (BC), Canada.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with 50 school informants (17 principals - 33 teacher/school informants) to examine the factors associated with the implementation of the mandated Daily Physical Activity (DPA) and Food and Beverage Sales in Schools (FBSS) guidelines. Coding used a constructivist grounded theory approach. The first five transcripts and every fifth transcript thereafter were coded by two independent coders with discrepancies reconciled by a third coder. Data was coded and analysed in the NVivo 9 software. Concept maps were developed and current theoretical perspectives were integrated in the later stages of analysis.ResultsThe Diffusion of Innovations Model provided an organizing framework to present emergent themes. With the exception of triability (not relevant in the context of mandated guidelines/policies), the key attributes of the Diffusion of Innovations Model (relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, and observability) provided a robust framework for understanding themes associated with implementation of mandated guidelines. Specifically, implementation of the DPA and FBSS guidelines was facilitated by perceptions that they: were relatively advantageous compared to status quo; were compatible with school mandates and teaching philosophies; had observable positive impacts and impeded when perceived as complex to understand and implement. In addition, a number of contextual factors including availability of resources facilitated implementation.ConclusionsThe enactment of mandated policies/guidelines for schools is considered an essential step in improving physical activity and healthy eating. However, policy makers need to: monitor whether schools are able to implement the guidelines, support schools struggling with implementation, and document the impact of the guidelines on students’ behaviors. To facilitate the implementation of mandated guidelines/policies, the Diffusion of Innovations Model provides an organizational framework for planning interventions. Changing the school environment is a process which cannot be undertaken solely by passive means as we know that such approaches have not resulted in adequate implementation.

Calories in the Classroom: Celebration Foods Offered and Consumed during Classroom Parties at an Elementary School in a Low-Income, Urban Community

The school food environment is an important area of exploration in investigating the potential for schoolchildren to consume foods and beverages containing excess calories on school grounds. Several venues offer schoolchildren access to lownutrient, calorie-dense foods and beverages. Classroom celebrations offer such a venue; however, little is known about current practices during these events. Trained observers recorded foods and beverages offered, activities engaged in, and goody bag distribution during six separate classroom celebrations. Additionally, foods and beverages consumed by 24 individual students were recorded in detail for calorie estimation. The majority of food items offered during classroom celebrations were low-nutrient, calorie-dense items. The mean caloric contribution for all 24 students was 444 ± 221 calories, with a range of 130–905 calories, and a median intake of 386 calories. Mean total estimated calorie intake per grade level was 225 ± 90, 286 ± 105, and 550 ± 212 calories for students in prekindergarten, kindergarten, and 1st grade, respectively. Only one-third of all the parties observed included activities other than eating. Our observations reveal that food items offered during classroom celebrations offer children opportunities to consume low-nutrient, calorie-dense foods and beverages on the school campus. More research is needed to support these findings, and to identify the best practice to implement for effective school wellness policies aimed at regulating classroom celebrations.

Roles and capacity of duty bearers in the realization of the human right to adequate food in Uganda

The right to adequate food recognised under international law provides a strong foundation for eradicating hunger and malnutrition in all nations. Uganda ratified the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (ICESCR) in 1987 and thereby committed itself to ensure the realization of the right to adequate food recognised under Article 11 of the Covenant. This study analysed the roles and capacity of duty bearers in the realization of the right to adequate food in Uganda. Structured interviews were held with purposefully selected duty bearers from 11 districts in the country between February and July 2007. Districts were selected by criterion based sampling. Relevant policies, budgets, and legislation were also reviewed, particularly with state obligations on human rights, and capacity of duty bearers in mind. Although this right is expressly recognised in the Food and Nutrition Policy of 2003 in which a multi-sectoral approach is proposed, sector-specific roles are not explicitly defined in Uganda’s institutional and policy framework. Most duty bearer (63%) considered the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF) as being responsible for the delays in implementing the relevant actions for the right to food. The Uganda Human Rights Commission (UHRC) reported receiving inadequate budget resources to support the right to food. Only 20% of duty bearers had knowledge of the General Comment 12, which is an important United Nations instrument that defines and elaborates on the human right to adequate food. Duty bearer’s knowledge of the right to food in the national Constitution had a significant (X2 = 0.003; P&lt;0.05) positive correlation (R=0.283) with membership status to an ad hoc Uganda Food and Nutrition Council (UFNC). A proposed Food and Nutrition Bill had taken over 10 years without being presented to the National Parliament for the process of enactment into law. As such, most of the support for this right came from development partners. Whereas the ministry of health and MAAIF are line ministries in the implementation of food and nutrition policy, the right to food roles of the various duty bearers in Uganda need to be well defined. Capacity development is also needed, particularly related to integrating right to food sector-specific roles into the theoretical development and practical implementation of food and nutrition security programmes at all levels in the country.

Teacher Awareness and Implementation of Food and Physical Activity Policies in Utah Elementary Schools, 2010

Schools are a key venue for childhood obesity prevention policies. The objective of this study was to examine factors associated with elementary school teacher awareness and implementation of their schools' food and physical activity policies.. We collected data through an online survey of teachers at Utah elementary schools with food and physical activity policies. We used bivariate analysis and logistic regression to assess association of variables with teacher awareness and implementation. Of 1,243 teacher respondents, 546 (44%) were aware of the food policy and 550 (44%) were aware of the physical activity policy. Food policy awareness was associated with knowing where written policies were located (odds ratio [OR], 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.0-3.5), knowing the school health program coordinator (OR, 1.9; 95% CI, 1.4-2.7), and being reminded of policies at least once per semester (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.7-2.9). Policy awareness was associated with both food (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 3.6-6.0) and physical activity (OR, 1.6, 95% CI, 1.2-2.3) policy implementation. Helping develop the physical activity policy was associated with its implementation (OR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.2-4.7). Thinking that students were more overweight than in the past was associated with food policy implementation (OR, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.1-2.5). Establishing food and physical activity policies at schools does not ensure teacher awareness or implementation. To promote policy awareness and implementation, school leaders should involve teachers in policy development, remind teachers of policies at least once per semester, and continue to educate teachers about childhood obesity.

Wonder vitamin or mass medication? Media and academic representation of folate fortification as a policy problem in Australia and New Zealand

The aim was to examine how representations of the 'problem' of folate fortification as policy strategy to reduce neural tube defects (NTDs) had been produced by examining the underlying discourses in media and health and medical journals. The objectives were to evaluate the various framings of the folate fortification 'problem', and discuss ways in which this policy problem could have been repositioned or reframed. All articles found in the Australian and New Zealand print media and in health and medical journals from June 1995 when the first expert report was released to one month after the approval of mandatory fortification in July 2007 were identified using two newspaper indexing databases (Factiva-Dow Jones Interactive & Proquest ANZ NewsStand) and multiple databases including PubMed, Expanded Academic ASAP and Informat (Australian Public Affairs). 176 print media articles and 83 peer-reviewed journal articles identified from the database analysis. Critical discourse analysis of these 259 articles resulted in three main discourses being evident in the representations; the dominance of biomedicine in the process of prioritisation of fortification of the food supply, issues of professional encroachment by nutritionists and the representation of fortification as iatrogenic. Food fortification as a policy response to nutritional deficiencies has implications for influencing food and nutrition policy implementation. Examining how policy problems are represented in the media and journals can help guide public health policy decisions.

Addressing malnutrition through profesional and inter agency networking: The Uganda Action for Nutrition Society.

This paper considers the role of professional societies and networks in building capacity for improved nutrition through cohesion with relevant national institutions and development partners on issues of food and nutrition policy development, implementation, and monitoring. It draws heavily on practical experience and capacity of professional members of the Uganda Action for Nutrition (UGAN), a corporate agency and society that advocates for adequate nutrition for all in Uganda. UGAN evolved from a United States Agency for International Development (USAID) effort, to a Ugandan owned and managed initiative that provides a forum to advocate for adequate nutrition for all through all channels of policy and leadership. In effect, UGAN activities are geared towards improved productivity and realisation of high quality nutrition advocacy messages and actions to influence positive development outcomes. The outputs provide options for improving the food and nutrition security and livelihoods of vulnerable groups in Africa and other parts of the world through its membership and participation in the activities of the International Union of Nutrition Sciences (IUNS), and partnerships with other development actors. With a membership of diverse professional levels and disciplines, UGAN provides a diversity of well tailored nutrition strategies through multidisciplinary channels that directly and positively affect vulnerable populations, and lead to demand-led development initiatives. This initiative can assist the achievement of a technical–social empowerment balance in alleviating malnutrition. Lessons learned from the transparent and participatory leadership, are pulled out to provide recommendations for achieving positive and sustainable development outcomes through food and nutrition security interventions.

Implementing Social and Environmental Policies in Cities: The Case of Food Policy in Vancouver, Canada

AbstractRecent years have seen the appearance on urban agendas of social and environmental issues not conventionally understood as municipal concerns. Often framed as policy areas that promote sustainability, quality of life or social inclusion, these new arrivals are complex not only because they are often cross‐sectoral, but equally because there are few regulatory tools and resources to support their implementation. This trend has resulted in a growing body of research that asks what factors result in some social and environmental policies being adopted by municipalities, while others are not? And why in certain places and not others? Such research typically focuses on factors and processes that contribute to getting an issue on the official agenda of a municipality, but offers comparatively little by way of analysis of what happens next. This article addresses this gap by providing an in‐depth analysis of the early stages of implementation of an emerging urban issue, food policy, in the City of Vancouver, Canada. The article draws attention to the often overlooked spaces and contours of governmental institutions as sites of organizational learning and capacity building in support of sustainability. In this way, the analysis brings deeper understandings of a specific case of food policy implementation by a municipal government, while also advancing research on how similar cross‐cutting social and environmental issues are implemented by local governments elsewhere.Résumé Depuis peu, on voit apparaître dans les programmes urbains des aspects sociaux et environnementaux qui, traditionnellement, n'entraient pas dans les préoccupations municipales. Souvent formulés comme des domaines politiques défendant approche durable, qualité de vie ou inclusion social, ces nouveaux venus sont complexes, souvent parce qu'ils sont inter‐sectoriels, mais également parce qu'il existe peu d'outils et de ressources réglementaires pour faciliter leur mise en oeuvre. Il en a résulté une multiplication des recherches sur les facteurs qui permettent, ou non, l'adoption par les municipalités de certaines politiques sociales et environnementales? Et pourquoi dans certains lieux et pas ailleurs? En général, ces recherches s'attachent aux facteurs et processus qui contribuent à faire entrer une question dans le programme officiel d'une municipalité, mais apportent relativement peu quant à l'analyse de ce qui se produit ensuite. L'article traite cette lacune par une analyse approfondie des premiers stades de mise en oeuvre d'un thème urbain récent, la politique alimentaire, dans la ville canadienne de Vancouver. Il attire l'attention sur les espaces et profils souvent ignorés des institutions gouvernementales en tant que lieux d'apprentissage organisationnel et de construction de capacités permettant de favoriser la durabilité. Ce faisant, l'analyse permet de mieux appréhender un cas particulier d'application de politique alimentaire par les autorités municipales, tout en faisant progresser la recherche sur la façon dont, ailleurs, les gouvernements locaux traduisent concrètement des questions sociales et environnementales similaires couvrant plusieurs domaines.

The need for switching to a new paradigm of the development and implementation of agricultural and food policy

This forecast of a possible future increase in the capacity of the domestic agricultural market implies that the existing potential for growth in agricultural production, based on the food and light industries’ demand for food and raw materials, may exhaust by the late 2020s. Detailed illustrations show that the saturation of traditional markets will lead to significant changes in the logic of interdependence between various developmental aspects of the agro-industrial complex (AIC) and in the logic of forming problem situations, which will arise in the development of the agrarian sector in the medium and long term. These changes must be reflected in approaches to the development and implementation of agricultural and food policy.

Prevalência da deficiência, insuficiência de vitamina D e hiperparatiroidismo secundário em idosos institucionalizados e moradores na comunidade da cidade de São Paulo, Brasil

The occurrence of osteoporotic fractures in the elderly is associated with reduced levels of vitamin D and resulting secondary hyperparathyroidism, and inpatients are the ones at a higher risk. In Brazil, given its high level of insolation, the populations large amount of vitamin D is inferred to be adequate. In this study we aimed to assess the serum levels of 25-hydroxivitamin D (25OHD), parathormone (PTH) and ionized calcium (Cai), as well as to analyze the prevalence of both hypovitaminosis D and secondary hyperparathyroidism in the elderly living in the city of São Paulo. We studied 177 inpatients (125 women and 52 men) with mean age (SD) 76.6 (9.0) years, and 243 outpatients (168 women and 75 men) aged 79.1 (5.9) years. In this assessment 71.2% in the inpatients group and 43.8% in the outpatients group had 25OHD levels below the minimum recommended (50 nmol/l), with the women presenting with levels considerably lower than the men. Secondary hyperparathyroidism occurred in 61.7% of the inpatients and in 54% of the outpatients. Considering the results achieved, we recommend vitamin D supplementation in effective doses for the Brazilian elderly population, in addition to suggesting a discussion for the implementation of vitamin D-enhanced food policies, particularly oriented to the ones at a greater risk.

Food policy in India: the importance of electoral politics in policy implementation

This article discusses, compares and contrasts the politics of food policy implementation in two Indian States: Karnataka in South India and Bihar in North India. Both states are covered by the Public Distribution System (PDS), a major intervention in the Indian food economy intended to reduce food insecurity and improve welfare. As in most South Indian States, the PDS in Karnataka works reasonably well. Most poor people receive some subsidized foodgrains every month. Karnataka politicians see the scheme as important and use it to enhance their popularity and attract votes. By contrast, the impact of the PDS on the poor in Bihar is negligible. The foodgrains are coming every month, but more than 80 per cent is diverted to the open market. This raises the question as to why the populist politicians in Bihar are not making use of the PDS in the same way as their colleagues in Karnataka. Based on fieldwork in these two States, the article explores a number of explanations. It concludes that politicians in Bihar take a definite interest in the PDS, but as a result of the different features of the overall political processes in these two States, this leads to a different type of influence for them as well as different outcomes for the beneficiaries. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Food policy in India: the importance of electoral politics in policy implementation

This article discusses, compares and contrasts the politics of food policy implementation in two Indian States: Karnataka in South India and Bihar in North India. Both states are covered by the Public Distribution System (PDS), a major intervention in the Indian food economy intended to reduce food insecurity and improve welfare. As in most South Indian States, the PDS in Karnataka works reasonably well. Most poor people receive some subsidized foodgrains every month. Karnataka politicians see the scheme as important and use it to enhance their popularity and attract votes. By contrast, the impact of the PDS on the poor in Bihar is negligible. The foodgrains are coming every month, but more than 80 per cent is diverted to the open market. This raises the question as to why the populist politicians in Bihar are not making use of the PDS in the same way as their colleagues in Karnataka. Based on fieldwork in these two States, the article explores a number of explanations. It concludes that politicians in Bihar take a definite interest in the PDS, but as a result of the different features of the overall political processes in these two States, this leads to a different type of influence for them as well as different outcomes for the beneficiaries. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contested Regulatory Practice and the Implementation of Food Policy: Exploring the Local and National Interface

There is growing geographical interest in the nature of the ‘real’ regulation of the food system. The food ‘scares’ of the late 1980s in the UK encouraged new legislation relating to food hygiene and safety. Its local implementation created tensions which were exacerbated by the legislative consequences of the Single European Market. In response, national‐level regulatory adjustments followed, which introduced new codes of practice and techniques of hazard analysis for implementation at the local level. The result was a consolidation of a system of food regulation that can be applied differentially across the ‘tiers’ of retailing. This paper explores the regulatory contentions of the early 1990s in the food policy arena and the nature of food regulation at the local level. It advances our understanding of the ‘construction’ of food quality and safety within the UK. Moreover, we argue that its depiction of the dialectical response between policy formulation and implementation confirms the need for local, as well as national level, exploration of the nature of the contemporary state.

Toward Healthy Longevity

For a variety of health, economic and social reasons, many countries are increasingly concerned about diet-related health problems impairing the quality and length of life. This article presents an analysis of the implementation of food and nutrition policies in Finland and Norway which are intended to address both the supply and demand aspects of food and dietary issues. The purpose was to identify policy problems and illustrate ways they have been addressed in order to be useful to other countries involved in developing such policies. The paper is based on on-site studies conducted in 1990, 1987, and 1980. Major findings indicate mixed progress due in part to problems in implementation. These include: development of an effective strategic capacity for planning, advocacy, coordination, and evaluation; integration into the health services system and other policy sectors; development of decentralized infrastructure for deploying policy; accuracy in public information on food and nutrition; the use of government market power, and social equity in the distribution of policy benefits and costs.

Current Concepts concerning Indispensable Amino Acid Needs in Adults and Their Implications for International Nutrition Planning

Using a newly proposed amino acid scoring pattern, an assessment is made of the capacity of diets in developed and developing countries to satisfy human amino acid needs. The new adult pattern differs from that proposed by FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) for the adult but is similar to that for two- to five-year-old children. FAO food availability data were used to evaluate the dietary patterns in selected countries, including those of Africa, the Far East, and the Near East. Lysine appears to be the limiting amino acid in diets heavily dependent on cereals, characteristic of those in poor countries; the analysis reveals that for these countries the mean lysine supply is below the newly estimated requirements, implying that adults could be at risk of an inadequate intake, especially when total protein availability is low. Further, this analysis reveals that when animal foods contribute about one-third of the total protein supply or when animal foods together with pulses and soybeans account for about 40% of the total protein supply, the lysine requirement for the population will be met. For the US diet, the high proportion of the total protein contributed by animal foods, about 68%, provides a lysine intake that is well above the estimated requirement and that is almost constant across all age and sex groups. This reassessment leads to the recommendation that, especially in countries whose diet is mainly dependent on cereals, complementation to improve dietary protein quality should remain a consideration in the design and implementation of food, nutrition, and agricultural programmes and policies.