Sickeningly Sweet: Analysis and Solutions for the Adverse Dietary Consequences of European Agricultural Law

Abstract

Sixty-nine percent of adults in the United States, sixty-four percent in the United Kingdom, and over one-third worldwide are overweight or obese. These staggering figures continue to grow, with accompanying emotional, physical, and economic consequences, both for individuals and society as a whole. The role law plays in facilitating this global trend is significant, and yet puzzlingly, little recognized or understood The current food system is profoundly structurally flawed: it establishes unhealthy dietary behaviors as the default option for consumers. This Article is the first to examine how agricultural law has facilitated these unhealthier diets for the past fifty years, analyzing these issues through the lens of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Article is particularly timely, examining how the most recent 2013 sugar reforms may worsen diet and health over the next decade in Europe and globally, especially in developing and emerging economies.