http://www.vancouversun.com/Rising+food+prices+mean+British+Columbians+comparison+shop+more+often+poll+shows/8398039/story.html
The American food system has been restructured by trade liberalization, which threatens our food culture and our health. If we are to wait for the market forces to respond to customer purchase power, I fear we will miss our opportunity to change national diets for another generation. The best form of health care is preventative action, and that is what is called for today. If we can coerce our policy makers to take major steps towards the implementation of whole food education, distribution, and agriculture, then we will be well on our way to a more sustainable public health system. The benefits will impact the land as well, with less pressure being placed on transportation or packaging. What is good for our bodies is good for our ecosystem as well.
I do not trust market forces to determine how I eat personally, but I have been afforded a great nutrition education which is not affordable to all. New measures need to be taken to ensure that everyone has access to the products and the knowledge required to live a healthy life free of noncommunicable diseases. We have the resources to disseminate such knowledge, and we have the nutrition supplementation programs to help fund the distribution of whole foods. If only we could alter the agricultural policy so that subsidies for fruits and vegetables (which are all but excluded), we could decrease the cost of fresh produce and increase the availability of domestic resources. It is time for a shift in the American diet, which suffers increasingly from obesity and malnutrition related illnesses. If we use the resources available to us, we could have a real effect on the state of public health for generations to come.