What’s the USDA’s Responsibility for Health and Nutrition?

January 9th, 2009

Posted by: admin

My day job obligates me to regularly monitor the various documents submitted to the transition team.  They are available online at the transition website.  One from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) caught my eye.  The document (which you can comment on) frames its advocacy through a useful question: what are the health and nutrition obligations of the Department of Agriculture.  Now, CSPI is an advocacy organization, so keep that in mind.  They favor more regulations supporting good nutrition and healthy food, so that colors much of the document.  But it’s not all issue advocacy.  The specific recommendations related to food safety concern policy organization and testing methods.  The end goals of those recommendations would include better scientific processes.

The framing question is one of balance.  How should the USDA reconcile its obligations to nutrition and food safety with its obligations to support and advance American agriculture?  While I understand the interests of CSPI in having USDA promote only healthy and low-fat products, I can certainly see why farms and food producers (particularly smaller ones) that don’t produce such foods would need a boost and why it might be a good idea.  But I’ve yet to find a policy problem that is easy.

2 Responses to “What’s the USDA’s Responsibility for Health and Nutrition?”

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  1. tarpon Says:
    January 10th, 2009 at 5:59 am

    CSPI is better referred to as a couple of crackpots working out of their grarage to support liberals odd view of the world.

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  2. bend Says:
    January 10th, 2009 at 2:20 pm

    Is it prudent that an agency should have obligations to parties of competing interests. I understand that such circumstances are not rare, but I don’t see the wisdom in it. You could consider this analogous to a criminal trial where the accused is prosecuted and defended by the district attorney.
    The department of agriculture was established to promote American farming and ranching. Whether such promotion is the place of federal government is a different question. If we feel our nutrition should be overseen by the executive branch, perhaps it’s a more appropriate fit with Health and Human Services.
    For my part, if I’m intent on killing myself with siera mist and oreos, I don’t want any arm of the state to get in my way. On the other hand, to the extent that I and my fellow Americans choose to eat more health-consciously, farmers will respond. Maybe they’ll finally start growing arugula in Iowa.