Diet-related diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity and hypertension, particularly those affecting children, remain stubbornly high. Can public policies like those that have been successful with tobacco control help shape a more effective public health impact on these diseases?
A group of food policy researchers with decades of experience believes so. Experts from the new Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Penn Medicine are bringing their knowledge to bear on key food- and health-related regulatory issues.
In September of 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released its “Make Our Children Healthy Again” report, which argued that food companies have fueled a national crisis by producing ultra-processed junk foods, aggressively marketing them to children, and influencing nutrition research and policy.
In a viewpoint, published today in JAMA Health Forum, Roberto and Alyssa J. Moran, ScD, MPH, deputy director at the center, point to a proven framework—modeled on tobacco control—that can be adapted to food policy on the heels of the HHS report.