E34: Juan Rivera on the Success of Mexico’s Soda Tax

April 24, 2019

For people around the world who believe that taxing sugared beverages is a good public health policy, the country of Mexico passing such a tax was a stunning victory. There was a significant need in Mexico to be sure, given high rates of obesity, especially in children, and very high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. But there was also a powerful beverage industry fighting the taxes. A fascinating story unfolded as the tax was being considered with a number of courageous and creative individuals at the center. One key figure is today’s guest, Dr. Juan Rivera.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | Diet & Nutrition | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy | Obesity | Soda Taxes | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |

 

E23: Al Sommer on Vitamin A, Blindness and Global Politics

March 21, 2019

We speak today with someone whose work is credited with preventing 400,000 cases of blindness and saving as many as 1 million deaths per year. Dr. Alfred Sommer has earned this place in global history. He discovered that Vitamin A deficiency reduces immune responsiveness and resistance to infectious diseases such as diarrhea and measles. He proved that vaccination for smallpox as late as six days after infection can prevent the disease. He demonstrated the effectiveness of a simple and effective tool for monitoring the nutritional health of children at high risk of dying from malnutrition, and he identified an early accurate predictor of optic nerve damage, signaling when to start Glaucoma therapy.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Diet & Nutrition | International Food & Ag Policy |

 

E27: William Dietz on Obesity, Undernutrition & Climate Change

March 3, 2019

It would seem at first glance that undernutrition and obesity are opposite sides of the same coin and not very related to one another and that neither of these issues would be related at all to climate change. Well, this turns out to not be true at all according to an authoritative new report for our listeners. The title of the report is The Global Syndemic of Obesity, Undernutrition and Climate Change, The Lancet Commission Report. One of the architects of that report is Dr. William Dietz.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Diet & Nutrition | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Insecurity | International Food & Ag Policy | Obesity | Regenerative Agriculture |

 

E6: Shiriki Kumanyika on the Disparities in our Food

January 22, 2019

Is it fair or ethical to allow food companies to target low-income communities with marketing for unhealthy foods? Should the health of our communities take a back seat to industry profits? These are surprisingly difficult questions we’ll explore today with Dr. Shiriki Kumanyika on The Leading Voices in Food.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Eating Disorders | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Industry Behavior & Marketing | Obesity | Ultra-processed Food & Additives |

 

E3: Marion Hetherington on Kids, Vegetables and Appetite

January 19, 2019

Ever wonder why some kids like certain vegetables and some don’t? Or why some people are super focused on food and others forget to eat? Explore these ideas with biopsychologist Marion Hetherington on the Leading Voices in Food podcast.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Children Food Preferences | Diet & Nutrition |

 

E5: Kevin Concannon on the Role of Federal & State Food Assistance Programs

January 11, 2019

Imagine presiding over one of the nation’s major food assistance programs. The supplemental nutrition assistance program that helps feed more than $40 million Americans. And that this is just part of your job. Few people have seen the inner workings of federal and state food assistance programs as deeply as today’s guest, Kevin Concannon, former Undersecretary of Food, Nutrition and Consumer services in the US Department of Agriculture, under President Obama.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Policy | School Meals | Social Safety Net & Food |

 

E4: Billy Shore on Politics, Food and our Children’s Future

If you had the opportunity to shape the country’s agenda for addressing hunger, what solutions would you suggest and how would you drive this needed change? The Leading Voices in Food interviews Billy Shore, executive chairman of No Kid Hungry and its parent organization Share Our Strength.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Child Development & Nutrition | Food Banks, Food Pantries & Soup Kitchens | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | School Meals |

 

E2: Andrew Prentice on the Genetic Legacy of our Nutrition

January 10, 2019

You have likely heard the saying “You are what you eat.” But what if I told you that how well your parents were eating in the days and months before you were conceived may actually help to determine how your body works—at the cellular level—for your entire life? As it turns out, you were optimized to survive in your parents’ nutritional environment. The Leading Voices in Food podcast series, produced by the World Food Policy Center at Duke University, interviews Dr Andrew Prentice, professor of international nutrition that the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Prentice is a distinguished scholar on the effects of diet on human health and disease and as a world leader in global health research, he has made major contributions in many areas, two of which are the regulation of Human Energy Balance and obesity and the effects of malnutrition on maternal and child health and poor populations.

Related podcasts: Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Food Insecurity | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience |

 

E6: Shenggen Fan on Hunger, Climate Change and the Hope of Innovation

January 3, 2019

What happens when a child is malnourished? Can such a child ever “catch up” later in life? Why does urbanization and obesity seem to go hand in hand—and what does this mean for food production? We’ll explore big picture food system questions today on the Leading Voices in Food with our guest Dr. Shenggen Fan.

Related podcasts: Agriculture & Tech | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Climate Change, Environment & Food | Equity, Race & Food Justice | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy | Regenerative Agriculture |

 

E1: Billy Shore on Feeding Kids in the US and Abroad

January 1, 2019

Have you ever wondered why people are hungry in a world that produces more than enough food to feed them? The Leading Voices in Food interviews Billy Shore, the executive chair of No Kid Hungry and its parent organization Share our Strength.

Related podcasts: Advocacy & Food | Child Development & Nutrition | Childhood Obesity | Diet & Nutrition | Food Insecurity | Food Policy | International Food & Ag Policy |