Welcome!

Welcome to the companion website for Food Policy in the United States: An Introduction, Second Edition

The first edition of Food Policy in the United States: An Introduction, published in 2013, quickly established itself as a core leading introductory text on food policy in the United States. The second edition offers a timely update, including:

policy changes in the 2014 Farm Bill
the 2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans
new child nutrition legislation
reforms in food labeling policy
and many other developments.

The chapters cover U.S. agriculture, food production and the environment, international agricultural trade, food and beverage manufacturing, food retail and restaurants, food safety, dietary guidance, food labeling, advertising and federal food assistance programs for the poor.

This companion website includes a range of useful additional resources for students and instructors, arranged by chapter on the Chapter Resources tab above, to complement the text, including:

additional economic appendices
program summary tables
annotated links, primarily to major government and NGO websites
problem sets.

Book Information Complimentary Exam Copy

Book Cover

About the Author

Parke Wilde is a food economist and professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, USA. Previously, he worked for the Community Nutrition Institute and for USDA’s Economic Research Service. He received his Ph.D. in agricultural economics from Cornell University, USA. At Tufts, Parke teaches graduate-level courses in statistics and U.S. food policy. His research addresses food security and hunger measurement, the economics of food assistance programs and federal dietary guidance policy. He is a director of the Tufts/University of Connecticut Research Innovation and Development Grants in Economics (RIDGE) Program. He has been a member of the Institute of Medicine’s Food Forum and a member of the research committee advising AGree, a national food policy initiative. He is on the editorial board for Applied Economics Perspectives and Policy and keeps a blog at usfoodpolicy.com.

Praise for the First Edition

"Food Policy in the United States is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how our food system really works or to take action to change it. Professor Wilde provides a tough but balanced and decidedly nonpartisan overview of the facts behind the full range of policy areas – among them agricultural support, safety, dietary guidance – that affect food production and consumption. If you want to join the food movement to improve the system, here’s how to find out where to start."

Marion Nestle, Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health at New York University, USA, and author of Food Politics

"More than ever before, those of us who care about U.S. nutrition policy recognize that we need to pay attention to a whole wide world of policy and economic issues – including farm policy, food manufacturing, supermarkets, anti-hunger programs and more. For my students--and my colleagues--it can seem daunting! Without oversimplifying, Food Policy in the United States opens the doorway to these broader conversations and debates."

Miriam Nelson, Ph.D., Nutrition Scientist, Professor and Best-selling Author of the Strong Women book series

"This is a very engaging book on the key issues of the food systems and policies today. The topics and material make an excellent foundation for classroom discussion and learning. Parke Wilde asks provocative questions throughout that help to engage the reader and reinforce the importance of trying to understand the economic factors and policy process. I look forward to having this book available for students!"

Helen H. Jensen, Professor of Economics and Head of the Food and Nutrition Policy Division at the Centre for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, USA

"Substance beyond many populist food politics-type books which have surged over the past decade distinguishes Dr. Wilde's contribution. His knowledgeable approach to underlying market (and government) failure which motivates the food policy topic of concern comes from his own background and experience in academia, government and working with NGOs. Occasional notes on advocacy come as a refreshing "so what" for the reader."

– Neal Hooker, Professor of Food Policy in the John Glenn School of Public Affairs, Ohio State University, USA