Public health promotion of “local food”: Constituting the self-governing citizen-consumer

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colleen Derkatch ◽  
Philippa Spoel
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Lifestyle Behaviors ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Health Citizenship

This article explores how the recent and growing promotion of local foods by public health units in Ontario, Canada, rhetorically interpellates the “good” health citizen as someone who not only takes responsibility for personal health but, through the consumption and support of “local food,” also accepts and fulfills her responsibilities to care for the local economy, the community’s well-being, and the natural environment. Drawing on Charland’s concept of constitutive rhetoric, we analyze a selection of public health unit documents about local food to develop a textured account of the complex, multifaceted forms of health citizenship they constitute. Our analysis reveals that, despite their appeals to environmental sustainability and community well-being, these materials primarily characterize the ideal health citizen as an informed consumer who supports the interests of the neoliberal state through individualized lifestyle behaviors, consuming goods produced and distributed through private enterprise. By exhorting individuals to “buy local,” public health discourse therefore frames responsible health citizenship principally in consumerist terms that constrain the range of available options for citizens to engage in meaningful action vis-à-vis their food systems.

City Health Departments

Urban Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 377-385
Author(s):  
Daniel Kass ◽  
Thomas Matte ◽  
Adam Karpati
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Built Environments ◽  
Political Capacity ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
The Social ◽  
Public Health Governance ◽  
National Governments

In cities, opportunities exist to influence advances in healthcare, food systems, housing, transport, and the social, physical, and built environments to promote equity, well-being, and health. For cities to accommodate population increases and ameliorate existing conditions, they must seek greater local authority to act and regulate, decentralize power and revenue control from state and national governments, build stronger relationships among governmental sectors and civil society, and build technical and political capacity. This chapter addresses a critical mechanism by which public health as a sector must engage with these changes: local public health governance. It identifies challenges and constraints and offer recommendations for going forward.

scholarly journals Food system sustainability for health and well-being of Indigenous Peoples

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (13) ◽  
pp. 2415-2424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harriet V Kuhnlein
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Indigenous Peoples ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
Rockefeller Foundation ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Food Systems ◽  
System Sustainability

AbstractObjectiveTo describe how Indigenous Peoples understand how to enhance use of their food systems to promote sustainability, as demonstrated in several food-based interventions.DesignComments contributed by partners from case studies of Indigenous Peoples and their food systems attending an international meeting were implemented with public health interventions at the community level in nine countries.SettingThe Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Conference Center in Bellagio, Italy, where experiences from case studies of Indigenous Peoples were considered and then conducted in their home communities in rural areas.SubjectsLeaders of the Indigenous Peoples’ case studies, their communities and their academic partners.ResultsReported strategies on how to improve use of local food systems in case study communities of Indigenous Peoples.ConclusionsIndigenous Peoples’ reflections on their local food systems should be encouraged and acted upon to protect and promote sustainability of the cultures and ecosystems that derive their food systems. Promoting use of local traditional food biodiversity is an essential driver of food system sustainability for Indigenous Peoples, and contributes to global consciousness for protecting food biodiversity and food system sustainability more broadly. Key lessons learned, key messages and good practices for nutrition and public health practitioners and policy makers are given.

scholarly journals Transforming Food Systems: The Missing Pieces Needed to Make Them Work

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen Kennedy ◽  
Patrick Webb ◽  
Steven Block ◽  
Timothy Griffin ◽  
Mozaffarian Dariush ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Good Health ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Healthy Diets ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Mitigate Climate Change ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Radical Transformation

Abstract Food systems lie squarely at the intersection of several over-arching goals of the United Nations and member states, as embodied in the Sustainable Development Goals, including, eliminating poverty, hunger and malnutrition in all its forms, achieving good health and well-being, while promoting environmental sustainability. The need for radical transformation of current food systems is inescapable if the world is to achieve one, let alone all, of these goals. Meeting this challenge will inevitably be disruptive to current food systems, carry costs and be politically onerous. But the projected benefits far outweigh these difficulties. This commentary spells out the complexity of issues that need to be tackled in order to design and implement food systems that improve diets, nutrition and health in an equitable fashion, while simultaneously respecting planetary boundaries. Six critical domains are identified that must be addressed for the successful transformation of food systems: (1) reinvent agriculture, (2) transform food environments for healthy diets, (3) mitigate climate change, (4) productively engage the private sector, (5) influence public policy priorities, and (6) establish true cost accounting of food. Because science is crucial for each of these domains, a research driven strategy, emphasizing a collaborative process, is outlined. Bold, new but technically and politically feasible actions are needed to effectively transform current food systems.

scholarly journals Grappling With Complex Food Systems to Reduce Obesity: A US Public Health Challenge

2018 ◽  
Vol 133 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 44S-53S ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Barnhill ◽  
Anne Palmer ◽  
Christine M. Weston ◽  
Kelly D. Brownell ◽  
Kate Clancy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Food System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Policies And Programs ◽  
State Programs

Despite 2 decades of effort by the public health community to combat obesity, obesity rates in the United States continue to rise. This lack of progress raises fundamental questions about the adequacy of our current approaches. Although the causes of population-wide obesity are multifactorial, attention to food systems as potential drivers of obesity has been prominent. However, the relationships between broader food systems and obesity are not always well understood. Our efforts to address obesity can be advanced and improved by the use of systems approaches that consider outcomes of the interconnected global food system, including undernutrition, climate change, the environmental sustainability of agriculture, and other social and economic concerns. By implementing innovative local and state programs, taking new approaches to overcome political obstacles to effect policy, and reconceptualizing research needs, we can improve obesity prevention efforts that target the food systems, maximize positive outcomes, and minimize adverse consequences. We recommend strengthening innovative local policies and programs, particularly those that involve community members in identifying problems and potential solutions and that embrace a broad set of goals beyond making eating patterns healthier. We also recommend undertaking interdisciplinary research projects that go beyond testing targeted interventions in specific populations and aim to build an understanding of the broader social, political, and economic context.

scholarly journals Building Resilience in Social-Ecological Food Systems in Vermont

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 4813 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristine Skog ◽  
Stine Eriksen ◽  
Christy Brekken ◽  
Charles Francis
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Adaptive Governance ◽  
Social Patterns ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Social Ecological Systems ◽  
Social Ecological

There is an expanding interest in Local Food Systems (LFSs) in Vermont, along with a growing effort to create adaptive governance to facilitate action. In this case study, we investigate how adaptive governance of LFS can provide ideas and act as a catalyst for creating resilience in other social-ecological systems (SESs). By participating in meetings and interviewing stakeholders inside and outside the Vermont LFS network, we found that consumers were highly motivated to participate by supporting environmental issues, the local economy, and interactive communities, as well as building social relationships. Farmers experienced better income and increased respect in the local community. All participants found adequate “safe space” to share new ideas and explore partnerships. Their identities and values were also place-specific, reflecting the working landscape of Vermont. Adaptive governance was built on equal partnerships, where problems were discussed and responsibilities were shared among many stakeholders across geographic areas and multiple sectors. Some skepticism was expressed towards mainstreaming local food production and sales. Challenges remain to more fully include farmers, for-profit players, and low-income consumers in the network. This might limit the resilience and sustainability of the LFS. Because SESs are held together by common culture and identities, the risk of non-adaptive social patterns exemplifies one key challenge for future adaptive management towards resilient and sustainable outcomes. There is a critical need for developing relevant theory and conducting further research on LFSs and their potential roles in local SESs.

scholarly journals Start at the Center: Age-Friendly Public Health Systems and Healthy Brain Initiative Frameworks

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 720-720
Author(s):  
Megan Wolfe ◽  
Molly French ◽  
John Shean
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Departments ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
The Public ◽  
Community Connections ◽  
State And Local

Abstract SIGNIFICANCE. Older adults can contribute wisdom, skills, and time to communities. The public health sector has unique capabilities for creating conditions that promote health, foster community connections, and quality of life. METHODS. Two frameworks provide public health (PH) with core strategies to improve outcomes for all older adults. The Framework for Creating an Age-Friendly Public Health System (AFPHS) supports the PH role, as demonstrated by 37 of Florida’s 67 county health departments that are piloting the AFPHS Framework. The Healthy Brain Initiative’s (HBI) State and Local Public Health Partnerships to Address Dementia is a framework for action used by PH to promote cognitive health, improve care for cognitive impairment, and increase caregiving supports. Both frameworks call for utilizing regional data and cross-sector partnerships. IMPLICATIONS. PH can contribute to community-wide initiatives to promote well-being and community connections for older adults. Cross-sector partnerships can start by using available tools and planning guides.

scholarly journals POSSIBILITIES OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN INTERIOR DESIGN

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 627
Author(s):  
Ingūna Briede ◽  
Aina Strode
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Interior Design ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Sustainable Design ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Theoretical Research ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Knowledge And Skills ◽  
Health And Well Being

Sustainable design looks at the environmental, social and economic categories in interactions that deliver significant environmental and health solutions. Common trends in society show that sustainable thinking has not yet become a way of life and is fragmented. This justifies the need for both future and existing professionals – architects and environmental / interior designers – to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills in designing and evaluating projects in aspects of sustainability that are related to public health and well-being. The aim of the article is to determine the criteria for the evaluation of sustainable design, which should be taken into account during the development and implementation of the interior design project. Research methods – theoretical – research and analysis of scientific literature.

The First Course

2014 ◽  
Vol 36 (3) ◽  
pp. 109-129
Author(s):  
Michelle Moon ◽  
Cathy Stanton
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Public History ◽  
Food Systems ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Living History ◽  
Historic Sites

The current enthusiasm for “local food” offers public historians an opportunity to strengthen civic dialogues about place, land and energy use, labor, economy, health, and governance. Moving beyond conventional exhibitry and living history approaches challenges public history practitioners and institutions to confront politicized “real-life” aspects of food systems, but it also offers important benefits to those engaged in the reshaping of both scaled-down food systems and civically engaged museums and historic sites. A nuanced, reflexive engagement with food and farm history can be a way to address much broader issues of economic, institutional, and environmental sustainability.

scholarly journals Local Food Campaign in a Globalization Context: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (13) ◽  
pp. 7487
Author(s):  
Susan (Sixue) Jia
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Local Food ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Sustainable Growth ◽  
Environmental Friendliness ◽  
Personal Connection ◽  
Basic Commodity ◽  
Food Market ◽  
Global Food

As a basic commodity, food has undergone thorough globalization, with the global food market totaling 1392 billion USD in 2019. Despite such a great amount of global food trade, the idea of favouring the consumption of local food, or local food campaigns, has won ever growing attention and advocacy in recent years as an effort to enhance social and environmental sustainability. This systematic review study draws wisdom from the extant literature and provides critical thinking on how local food differs from non-local food and whether the two are more antagonistic or more complementary. Results suggest that although the term “local food” has hardly been clearly defined, it is possible to accommodate different opinions in a set of common constructs in Eriksen’s “three domains of proximity”. Regarding the strengths of local food, researchers agree more on its strong personal connection, distinctive culture, and high quality, but less on its supporting local economy, reduced energy consumption, and environmental friendliness. Meanwhile, local food has its current weaknesses in terms of higher price and unsuccessful information communication; however, these are not without solutions. Overall, while food localization and globalization differ in purpose, they can well co-exist, promote collaboration rather than confrontation, and together accelerate the sustainable growth of the food market.

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