Milling & Baking News - June 6, 2017 - 7

Editorial

Policies that affect food patterns

hanges in eating that directly impact indus- a Global Action Plan aimed at improving diets, not
tries like grain-based foods have gained just by encouraging people to eat more of foods constrength in recent years to the point that many sidered healthy, but by cutting back availability of
national industries are looking for ways to affect food saturated fatty acids, high sodium prepared and propreferences. Hardly anything spurs attention to this cessed foods and added sugars in food and nonalcopossibility more than the movements in national holic beverages. Without specifics, the W.H.O. says
consumption patterns hinting of a less than positive attention must be given to increasing availability of
trend in demand for flour-based consumer products. "fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods," with the
The approaches used or being considered cover such likelihood that whole grains alone would fit into this
a wide range that it may be concluded that no single pattern.
way has been identified for best increasing demand
This effort reflects a conclusion that recent changes
for grain-based foods. It is that lack of a common ap- in global eating patterns have resulted in a worrying
proach to expanding demand that prompts particular rise in global obesity and related chronic diseases in
attention to what may be an international effort to re- both developed and developing countries. With this
duce consumption of a particular
problem seen as one shared by
Affecting food consumption
food, or just the reverse of what
many nations, the W.H.O. has
levels beyond the food
grain-based foods is seeking.
taken on the task of spurring
marketplace itself is not only
Important in even looking at
changes in eating patterns that
difficult, but may be nearly
steps proposed to cut back intake
particularly focus on cutting
impossible.
of specific foods is to declare that
back obesity levels throughout
the opposite approach is not necessarily a good way to the world. While no specific steps are proposed on a
improve use. The food situation is unlike many efforts country-by-country basis to improve eating patterns,
to improve living standards, where negatives such as the possible role of prices as both a positive and negatearing down cheap living in slums and cutting back tive incentive has been extensively studied.
on immigration may be viewed as helpful, and doing
Taxes applied to undesirable products, which have
the opposite such as building cheap housing and ex- been tried and are yet unproven in several American
panding immigration may be considered detrimental. cities, have many negatives that make the W.H.O.
In the case of foods, a great deal of effort has been cautious, if not skeptical, about their effect. Particufocused on relations between food prices and income larly problematic are the ability of many developing
levels and consumption rates.
nations to adopt a tax policy on consumer prices that
The problem for food is that changes in income would be transparent as well as equitable. The cerlevels and in prices have so many variable impacts tainty of industry opposition to such a taxing policy
that relying on these is nearly useless. First, price aimed directly at reducing consumption is beyond the
and income levels mainly affect only what people ability of many nations to counter. On the other hand,
living on low incomes eat. A recent study by the increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables by
Economic Research Service shows that income and actions that would allow price reductions is seen as
prices influence eating patterns across gender, age, working only in low income nations. It is also these
regions, countries and react differently on each of the nations that voice concerns about how many of these
major food categories, including grain-based foods. policies would affect food-insecure populations.
Unstated in this important finding is how time difOne finding is evident from all of these continuing
ferences are also important.
deliberations, and that is that affecting food consumpIn accepting these implications, the World Health tion levels beyond the food marketplace itself is not
Organization, a United Nations entity, has proposed only difficult, but may be nearly impossible. MBN
MORTON SOSLAND, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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