The Wake Forest Journal of Law & Policy will host a symposium, “Keeping it Fresh? Exploring the Relationship Between Food Laws and Their Impact on Public Health and Safety,” on Friday, April 4, in the Worrell Professional Center.

The Journal of Law & Policy chose to highlight recent–and at times, controversial–changes in the area of food law.  Food law is a broad topic which encompasses anything from childhood hunger to obesity.  In addition to this symposium, the Wake Forest community will engage in a campus-wide initiative towards improving the mental, physical, and emotional health of our students, faculty, and staff.  With this symposium, the Journal hopes to attract not only Wake Forest affiliates, but the surrounding community as well.

The agenda for the symposium may be found here.

The keynote speaker for the symposium will be Dr. Brian Elbel, an Associate Professor of Population Health and Health Policy at the NYU School of Medicine. Dr. Elbel studies how individuals make decisions that influence their health and healthcare, with a particular emphasis on evaluation, obesity, and food choice. His current research includes the impact of public policies mandating calorie labeling in restaurants, the influence of New York City’s policy limiting the size of sugar sweetened beverages at food service establishments, and the impact of policies supporting the development of supermarkets in high need areas.

Participants and their topics include:
Anne Barnhill, University of Pennsylvania, Justice, Respect and Choice: the Ethics of Healthy Eating Policy
Paul Campos, University of Colorado Law, Food and Moral Panic
Tim Caulfield,  University of Alberta, From Celebrities to Science Hype: Twisting the Truth About Healthy Living
Katherine Pratt, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, Lessons from Recent Anti-Obesity Fiascoes and Successes
Vanessa Zboreak, Wake Forest University, State ‘Right to Farm’ Acts in Conjunction with Proposed Model Legislation

Moderators:
Jamy Ard, Wake Forest University