Wilde’s Textbook Covers the Fundamentals of Food System Policy

First paragraphs: Many of us who are interested in food systems reach a point in our learning journey where we realize that our government is involved in nearly every aspect of the food system. Whether you are passionate about nutrition, food justice, or climate change, you can bet there is at least one government regulation or program that signifi­cantly affects that issue. Parke Wilde’s second edition of Food Policy in the United States: An Intro­duction is a comprehensive guide perfect for the graduate or undergraduate student who needs to understand the policy-making world. The book is not too different from the first edition, aside from updates based on recent policy changes in sources like the 2014 farm bill and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020. The textbook does its best to cover every major food policy topic from “farm to fork.” Before he begins, Wilde uses Chapter 1 to give the reader a crash course in the legislative process and some basic economic terminology, like “external­ities.” He also takes the time to explain that this textbook is written from a public-interest perspec­tive and that the book tackles questions about both how policies should be made and how policies are actually made.