Introducing a dynamic framework to jointly address policy impacts on environmental and human health in a regional produce recovery and redistribution system

AuthorBeth J. Feingold,Akiko S. Hosler,Christine Bozlak,Xiaobo Xue,Roni A. Neff,Janine M. Jurkowski
Date01 August 2019
Published date01 August 2019
DOIhttp://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1859
ACADEMIC PAPER
Introducing a dynamic framework to jointly address policy
impacts on environmental and human health in a regional
produce recovery and redistribution system
Beth J. Feingold
1
|Xiaobo Xue
1
|Roni A. Neff
2
|Christine Bozlak
3
|
Akiko S. Hosler
4
|Janine M. Jurkowski
3
1
Department of Environmental Health
Sciences, University at Albany School of Public
Health, State University of New York,
Rensselaer, New York
2
Department of Environmental Health and
Engineering and Center for a Livable Future,
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public
Health, Baltimore, Maryland
3
Department of Health Policy, Management
and Behavior, University at Albany School of
Public Health, State University of New York,
Rensselaer, New York
4
Department of Epidemiology and
Biostatistics, University at Albany School of
Public Health, State University of New York,
Rensselaer, New York
Correspondence
Beth J. Feingold, Department of
Environmental Health Sciences, University at
Albany School of Public Health, State
University of New York, Rensselaer, NY
12144.
Email: bfeingold@albany.edu
Funding information
Foundation for Food and Agriculture
Research, Grant/Award Number: 557409;
Grace Communications Foundation
Regular consumption of fruits and vegetables is associated with a decreased risk of
cardiovascular disease and allcause mortality. Access to fresh produce is limited for
individuals and families experiencing food insecurity. Emergency food programs,
including food pantries, are important institutions for assuring access to nutritional
foods for this population, including fresh produce. Produce availability at such institu-
tions is on the rise thanks to donation, gleaning, food bank purchases, recovery pro-
grams multiscale policy interventions. These efforts also have coupled economic
and environmental benefits for producers and retailers as surplus food is redirected
from the waste stream, where it would otherwise produce greenhouse gases that
contribute to climate change. Although varied surplus produce recovery programs
have been implemented around the country and the world, little modeling of poten-
tially synergistic impacts has accompanied their implementation. Thus, there remains
sparse understanding of systemwide joint implications economically, environmen-
tally, nutritionally, and epidemiologically. The goal of this paper is to offer a novel
dynamic modeling framework capable of assessing environmental, nutritional, and
health impacts of policies and programs in the food recovery and redistribution
system. This unique framework serves as a scientific basis for implementing best
management practices and policies to improve the sustainability of U.S. food systems.
1|INTRODUCTION
Food insecurity has a complex etiology and is associated with
social and structural inequalities in addition to individuallevel socio
economic and communitylevel factors including retail access,
transportation, and food assistance (Jablonski, McFadden, & Colpaart,
2016). Adults experiencing food insecurity are at higher risk than the
general population for a constellation of interrelated health conditions,
including obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, heart
disease, depression, and poor overall health (Gundersen & Ziliak,
2015; Seligman, Laraia, & Kushel, 2010; Vozoris & Tarasuk, 2003;
Wang et al., 2014). One important prevention and mitigation strategy
for many of these is a healthful diet full of fresh fruits and vegetables,
though fresh produce availability in lowresourced areas and in
supplemental and emergency food providers is often lacking (Kaur &
Kapoor, 2001; Lyles et al., 2013). Given the relationship among food
insecurity, fruit and vegetable consumption, and allcause mortality,
food pantries and other emergency food providers have the potential
to be an important area for intervention, yet most are not able to
provide a wide selection of fresh produce (Ross, Campbell, & Webb,
2013).
Meanwhile, according to ReFED's 2016 landmark report, A
Roadmap to Reduce Food Waste by 20 Percent,an estimated 62.5
million pounds of wasted food may be landfilled or left unharvested
on farms annually in the United States, 42% of which may be fruits
and vegetables (ReFED: Rethinking Food Waste through Economics
and Data, 2016). We use the term wasted foodrather than food
wasteto emphasize that this product is food, not waste. Wasted food
is linked with negative environmental, economic, health, and social
impacts (Conrad et al., 2018).
Received: 30 April 2018 Accepted: 14 August 2018
DOI: 10.1002/pa.1859
J Public Affairs. 2019;19:e1859.
https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.1859
© 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa 1of8

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