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Case studies for Section 6, Food.
Lisa Armstrong, Voluntary or Regulated? The Trans Fat Campaign in New York City
Students consider different approaches to regulating trans fats in restaurants. This case requires students to consider political aspects of public health regulation.
Treeby Brown, Tackling Childhood Obesity: A Case Study in Maternal and Child Health Leadership
In this case study, students consider the political dynamics surrounding an effort to address childhood obesity in the American South. The case is designed to help students think about leadership around food-access issues in the United States. It would be best for older students who have some experience with workplace dynamics and politics.
Cornell University’s Food Policy Case Studies
This excellent series of case studies gives students background information on a food security issue, presents policy options to address the issue, and then asks students to make recommendations on policy. Many of these cases cover issues also addressed in the readings in this section. Here is a sampling of cases dealing with issues covered in this book, but there are many more:
HIV/AIDS, Gender, and Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa
Food Security, Nutrition, and Health in Costa Rica’s Indigenous Populations
Developing a National Food Fortification Program in the Dominican Republic
Biofortification in a Food Chain Approach in West Africa
The Impact of Food for Education Programs in Bangladesh
The Nutrition Transition and Obesity in China
Food Advertising Policy in the United States
Surviving Shocks in Ethiopia: The Role of Social Protection for Food Security
Niger’s Famine and the Role of Food Aid
Philips and Rhatigan, Treating Malnutrition in Haiti with Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Foods
This case describes a disagreement between Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and the Haitian government over the best use of Plumpy’Nut, a nutritionally supplemented peanut paste, in Haiti. Students must consider strategies for dealing with malnutrition, as well as ways to fund those strategies.
SNAP Challenge
Students (and instructors!) can engage in the SNAP challenge, where participants feed themselves on a SNAP budget for a week. Hunger Free Vermont has clear instructions for the challenge.
As they engage in the challenge, students may also want to consider online critiques and debates over the SNAP Challenge approach. This activity may not be appropriate for all students.
Wachter et al., Reducing Child Malnutrition in Maharashtra, India
In this case, students learn about and analyze a successful intervention to address child malnutrition in Maharashtra, which was a part of India’s Integrated Child Development Services program. They consider what would be required to scale the program up.