The real cost of food: can taxes and subsidies improve public health?

Suboptimaldiet quality isamongtheleadingfactors associated with death and disability in the United States and globally. Strategies to address suboptimal diet focusonnutrition education through dietary guidelines and food package labeling.However, this approach places responsibility for healthier diets on an individual’s ability to make informed choices rather than addressing the complex, powerful environmental determinants of dietary habits. Not surprisingly, this strategy has fallen short, as demonstrated by the increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related illness