Members of the CALS community are invited at attend a seminar on the topic of ultra-processed food policy by Charles Benbrook on Thursday, Dec. 4, 4:00 – 4:30pm in room 205 Babcock Hall. Benbrooke, an agricultural economist and alumnus of the UW–Madison Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, is president of Benbrook Consulting Services, which provides analytical services for clients on biotech, pesticides, IPM, food law and more. During the seminar, he will present his work with the Swette Center at Arizona State University and the Heartland Health Research Alliance on how ultra-processed foods (UPFs) should be classified and labeled to promote positive public health outcomes. He will summarize detailed comments recently submitted to the FDA and USDA, with a focus on novel nutritional quality metrics.

Processed foods now dominate caloric intake. To drive change toward healthier, mostly whole foods, people need credible, consistent and actionable information about which foods are healthy, not so healthy and unhealthy. Benbrook and colleagues have developed a simple, data-driven system to quantify and communicate the impacts of food processing on food nutritional quality and safety. Three metrics for evaluating UPFs will be described: the portion of nutrients lost through processing, the identity and amounts of nutrients added, and any new or heightened food safety risks. Options to convey the impacts of processing via front-of-pack labeling will also be discussed. Benbrook’s career on setting actionable, transparent standards for food includes working with UW scientists and the Wisconsin Potato and Vegetable Growers Association on the Healthy Grown Potato program.

The seminar can also be watched via Zoom at: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/99909811707?from=addon

It is hosted by the UW Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems and several co-hosts, including Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment; Kaufman Lab; Organic Collaborative; Grainger Center for Supply Chain Management; Center for Cooperatives; and the Food Studies Network.