Diet & Nutrition Archives - World Food Policy Center

E302: Do GLP-1 drugs reduce overall healthcare spending?

June 9, 2026

For many people, the FDA-approved drug class called GLP-1s has been a game changer for managing type 2 diabetes and weight loss. An estimated one in eight US adults is using this type of drug, which mimics a natural gut hormone to regulate blood sugar, slow stomach emptying, and suppress appetite. Researchers and the public have been scrutinizing the pros and cons of taking these drugs for many years. One critical question that remains is does the use of GLP-1s translate into lower medical expenses for consumers, healthcare providers, insurance companies, and the government? Today, we’re speaking with Duke University health economist Jonathan Zhang on the answer to these questions from his multi-year study of veterans who use GLP-1s. The results are surprising.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Food, Psychology & Neuroscience | Obesity |

E300: Tackling Food and Nutrition Systems Change at the Kellogg Foundation

June 2, 2026

Way back in 1930, breakfast cereal innovator and entrepreneur Will Keith Kellogg founded the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to act as an independent philanthropic force helping America’s children thrive. Working across the country, the Kellogg Foundation partners with communities to create conditions for vulnerable children so they can realize their full potential in school, work, and life. A big part of the work focuses on food access and nutrition for kids and their families. Today we’re speaking with Jon-Paul Bianchi, the Kellogg Foundation’s Director of Systems Change.

E299: Culinary Medicine and connecting med students with patients

April 30, 2026

I’m delighted today to be joined by Dr. Joseph Skelton, professor of Pediatrics, founder and director of Brenner Fit, a program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. FIT stands for Families in Training, which is a family-based pediatric obesity program. He’s the author of a new book on children and their weight, a topic we discussed in a separate podcast. But in this podcast, we’re talking about something he teaches at Wake Forest, a course in culinary medicine. This is a fascinating, pioneering area of focus, so let’s dig in.

E298: Your child is not their weight – a parent’s guide

April 27, 2026

So going back more than 30 years, I was involved in work on childhood obesity. It was a prevalent problem at the time, but little attention was being devoted to children and weight issues. And it was fair to say that the field, as it were, was an academic backwater. Little was known about short and long-term effects of childhood obesity. The social and emotional lives experienced by the children hadn’t really been documented or studied much. There was very little known about treatment or strategies for parents, but thankfully, things are different now. Thanks in part to the work of a number of really innovative people in the field, and one of the most innovative is our guest today, Dr. Joseph Skelton. He’s a professor of pediatrics and founder and director of Brenner Fit. FIT stands for Families in Training, which is the family-based pediatric obesity program at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He’s also editor of the Journal of Childhood Obesity is involved in clinical care, research, education, and community outreach. Dr. Skelton has just published what I think is a really important book through the American Academy of Pediatrics, entitled Your Child Is Not Their Weight: Parenting in a Size Obsessed World. I was asked to review the book and was delighted to see it before it was published and just was so happy to see that such a book existed at all, but such a good quality book at entering the picture. Really a very important advance in our field.

E295: Food engineering is fueling preventable disease

April 2, 2026

An amazing paper was just published in the scientific literature in a journal called Millbank Quarterly, and two of the three authors on the paper are guests today, Dr. Ashley Gearhardt and Dr. Allan Brandt. I happen to be the third author, which makes me very proud because if I look back on all the different papers and books and things I’ve been associated with over the years, this is one of the most powerful, I think. And potentially one of the things that could create the greatest impact. Our guests today, are Dr. Ashley Gearhardt professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. And Ashley is a leading expert on why people eat what they do and has been a pioneer in work on food and addiction, which is a really important topic now, not only scientifically, but in policy and legal settings. Our other guest is Dr. Allan Brandt, Professor of the History of Science, and the Amalie Kass Professor of the History of Medicine at Harvard University. Allan has chronicled the tobacco industry for decades and has written the landmark book on the topic, which is entitled The Cigarette Century, the Rise, fall, and Deadly Persistence of the Product That Defined America. Now, you’re probably wondering on this food podcast, why we have somebody involved with tobacco. Well, you’re about to find out.

E290: Grading the Biggest US Grocery Stores on Healthy Offerings

January 15, 2026

Do you ever wonder whether your grocery store cares about whether you have a healthy diet? Every time we shop or read advertisement flyers, food retailers influence our diets through product offerings, pricings, promotions, and of course store design. Think of the candy at the checkout counters. When I walk into my Costco, over on the right there’s this wall of all these things they would like me to buy and I’m sure it’s all done very intentionally. And so, if we’re so influenced by these things, is it in our interest? Today we’re going to discuss a report card of sorts for food retailers and the big ones – Walmart, Kroger, Ahold Delhaize USA, which is a very large holding company that has a variety of supermarket chains. And this is all about an index produced by the Access to Nutrition Initiative (ATNi), a global foundation challenging the food industry investors and policy makers to shape a healthier food system. The US Retail Assessment 2025 Report evaluates how these three businesses influence your access to nutritious and affordable foods through their policies, commitments, and actual performance. The Access to Nutrition Initiatives’ director of Policy and Communications, Katherine Pittore is here with us to discuss the report’s findings. We’ll also speak with Eva Greenthal, who oversees the Center for Science in the Public Interest’s Federal Food Labeling work.

E289: Posting calorie counts on menus should be just one strategy of many

December 16, 2025

In April, 2022, England introduced a mandatory calorie labeling requirement for large food-away-from-home food outlets or out of home food outlets. The big idea behind the policy was that by showing the kilocalorie content of menu items, food businesses may reformulate their offerings, and consumers may choose lower calorie options. Results from a study that asked the question – Did the energy content of menu items actually change? – were recently published in the British Medical Journal. In today’s episode, researchers Jean Adams of the University of Cambridge and Mike Essman from Duke University’s World Food Policy Center will discuss the study in detail, including its strengths, limitations, and implications. And then explore how it fits into the wider policy landscape around food labeling and public health.

E287: Food policy insights from government agency insider Jerold Mande

November 25, 2025

We speak today to nutrition and policy expert Jerold Mande, the CEO of Nourish Science, a non-governmental organization focused on solving the country’s nutrition crisis. Jerry is also an adjunct professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health and a fellow at the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University. Jerry has had a long and distinguished public policy career. Among his posts in government, he served in the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and served as Deputy Undersecretary for Food Safety at the US Department of Agriculture in charge of Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) from 2009 to 2011. He co-founded Nourish Science in 2022 with a goal of ensuring every child reaches age 18 at a healthy weight and in good metabolic health.

E285: Gut instincts, food, and decision making

October 23, 2025

The gut is in the news. It’s really in the news. Catapulted there from exciting developments coming from laboratories all around the world. Links of gut health with overall health are now quite clear and surprising connections are being discovered between gut health and things like dementia and Alzheimer’s. But how does the gut communicate with other parts of the body in ways that make it this important, and where does the brain figure into all this? Well, there’s some interesting science going on in this topic, and a leading person in this area is Dr. Diego Bohorquez. Dr. Bohorquez is the associate professor of medicine, of molecular genetics and microbiology and of cell biology at the Duke University School of Medicine.

Related podcasts: Diet & Nutrition | Microbiome | Ultra-processed Food & Additives | Zero Calorie Sweeteners |

E281: Is ultra-processed food still food?

August 28, 2025

In this episode, Dr. Chris van Tulleken, a physician and professor from University College London, discusses the alarming reality of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their impact on our health. Van Tulleken details his own month-long experiment consuming UPFs, resulting in significant weight gain and various health issues. He explains the scientific definition of UPFs, their industry-driven design to enhance addictiveness, and the broader implications on public health. The conversation delves into the addiction potential of UPFs, their effect on brain chemistry, and the critical need for policy change to address these issues. Hosted by Kelly Brownell, this episode offers a thorough, eye-opening exploration of why we can’t stop eating food that isn’t really food.

Podcast Topic: Diet & Nutrition

The Leading Voices in Food

Podcast Topic: Diet & Nutrition

E302: Do GLP-1 drugs reduce overall healthcare spending?

E300: Tackling Food and Nutrition Systems Change at the Kellogg Foundation

E299: Culinary Medicine and connecting med students with patients

E298: Your child is not their weight – a parent’s guide

E295: Food engineering is fueling preventable disease

E290: Grading the Biggest US Grocery Stores on Healthy Offerings

E289: Posting calorie counts on menus should be just one strategy of many

E287: Food policy insights from government agency insider Jerold Mande

E285: Gut instincts, food, and decision making

E281: Is ultra-processed food still food?