Scientists argue that cheap food, especially meat, is tied to reduced human health and reduced farm animal welfare, both of which are key matters of public interest and health that are within the professions' respective medical targets.
According to Caroline Hewson and Tim Lang the 20th century's drive to lower food prices has resulted in many unseen costs for consumers, animals, and society.
Doctors and vets have an important opportunity and responsibility to guide the public about these costs and to encourage the relevant policymakers to make changes.
Historically, a good public health case existed for reducing the price of foods and vets have helped deliver that policy.
Today, vets help farmers control the diseases and other welfare concerns that intensive farming inadvertently promotes. Doctors, in turn, deal both with farmers' health, as they struggle to remain in business, and with the public's health, damaged by the modern diet.
According to industry analysts many customers now tend to associate good human health with good animal welfare, and the health professions are being asked to encourage a dramatic shift in national diets.
