ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the relationship between agricultural policy and diet. It does so by addressing two very different cases. In the first section, an assessment is made of the literature dealing with the impact of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) upon the consumption of food. Surprisingly, despite acknowledging the cost of the CAP and the extent to which it distorts agricultural prices, this literature draws the conclusion that there is very little impact on the level and even the composition of food consumption. However, it is argued here that this conclusion rests upon a counterfactual analysis which is dubious in method and limited in scope, setting aside the way in which the CAP is an integral part of the food system and how alternative policies with a genuine commitment to healthy eating could have a larger and potentially beneficial impact.
