Food Policy: Health & Security

Catalog description

What types of policies oversee the complexity of our food system? What are the effects? This course will explore the political debates, policy tools and agencies addressing issues of food safety, public health and food security across different scales with particular focus in the U.S. We will discuss problems that arise in our modern agricultural system and if/how U.S. policies attempt to address and alleviate these problems, including food‐borne disease outbreaks, the “My Plate” dietary guidelines, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Students will work with food security organizations in Binghamton to understand these issues at the local scale. Prerequisite: ENVI 101, ENVI 201 and an Introductory policy course such as ENVI/PHIL 149, ENVI 230, or ENVI/GEOG 239.