This is a great podcast from The Doctor's Farmacy that touches on a lot of important aspects of public private engagement for nutrition. Host Dr. Mark Hyman and his guest Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian (Cardiologist, Jean Mayer Professor of Nutrition and Medicine, and Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University) explore the health and economic consequences of poor diets in the United States. Dr. Mozaffarian emphasises that the food we eat (or do not eat) can either help or harm us. He advocates for a shift in taxes and incentives that can help make nutritious foods more affordable at the retail and consumer level.
According to Dr. Mozaffarian, there are five main food policy areas that could help improve nutritional outcomes, and save lives and money:
- Fiscal incentives on both supply and demand sides;
- Promoting public procurement of healthy foods in workplaces, schools and hospitals;
- Healthcare reform that includes more comprehensive training and medically-tailored meals;
- Research and innovation that leads to more nutritious, sustainable and equitable food
- Creating minimum quality standards building off the success of transfat reductions
Among other topics relevant to public private engagement, the discussion touches on the need for better trust and transparency; government regulations; harnessing the diversity and expertise of the food industry; marketing restrictions; and funding for nutrition research. While parts of the conversation are US-specific, it's an interesting conversation with implications for governments, business, and researchers around the world.
