A Food-Scare A Day: Why Aren’t We Better at Managing Dietary Risks?
Julie A. Caswell, professor of resource economics, will present the third 2004-2005 Distinguished Faculty Lecture, "A Food-Scare A Day: Why Aren’t We Better at Managing Dietary Risks?" The event is free and open to the public. A reception will be held immediately following the lecture. Professor Caswell will be presented with a Chancellor's Medal at the conclusion of the lecture.
Mad cow disease, a national obesity epidemic, E. coli in hamburger, hepatitis A outbreaks in restaurants, bioterrorist threats to the food supply, ‘Frankenfoods’—are these really crises, and if so, how do we combine scientific knowledge and economics to deal with them? Professor Caswell will argue that we’re currently stymied by a combination of what we know and what we don’t know, leading us to postpone action until—say—the first cow tests positive for mad cow disease. We can do better at managing food-borne risks, she believes, and will discuss how.
Julie A. Caswell has been a university faculty member since 1984. She is a member of the research team at the Food Marketing Policy Center at UMass Amherst and at the University of Connecticut, which focuses on understanding domestic and international food systems. The center is also a founding member of the Food Safety Research Consortium. Her current research projects focus on the impact of higher safety standards in developed countries on exports and food safety within developing nations, the traceability of food safety and the use of genetically modified organisms, and the effectiveness of food labeling in influencing consumer behavior. Caswell earned a bachelor’s degree in public affairs management from Michigan State University in 1976; a master’s degree in economics, and a doctorate in agricultural economics and economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1980 and 1984, respectively.
