school. one of these assessments included a harvard study proving that after the act was implemented, kids ate 16% more vegetables and 23% more fruit at lunch. the act remains in place, but has not gone unchallenged: on may 1, 2017, secretary of agriculture sonny perdue signed a proclamation to make nutrition requirements for school meals more flexible. this includes restoring local control of guidelines on whole grains, sodium, and milk. agricultural subsidies and the united states farm bill approximately once every five years, congress drafts legislation known as the united states farm bill, an umbrella term containing different bills affecting america's agriculture and food. the farm bill focuses on two major thrusts: food stamps and nutritional programs, and income and price supports for commodity crops. the farm bill has been touted as one of the biggest contributors to the ongoing obesity epidemic. over the past decade, the u.s. government's farm policy focused on the overproduction of and the reduction in prices of commodity crops such as corn and soybeans. low commodity prices incentivize farms to create new ways to use these commodity crops. these subsidies caused a decrease in the prices of corn and soybeans, and led to the creation of high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated vegetable oils – ingredients directly linked to obesity that are frequent components of many modern food products. in 1998, over 11,000 food products were introduced to americans; of these, approximately 75% were candies, condiments, cereals, and beverages – all foods high in added high fructose corn syrup. between 1974 and 2004, u.s. consumption of high fructose corn syrup increased over 1,000%. agricultural subsidies in other countries also tend to favor energy-dense crops. unhealthy foods tend to be inexpensive when compared to their healthy counterparts. as fruits and vegetables are not subsidized, the real cost of such crops has risen nearly 40%. in contrast, the prices of soda, sweets, fats, and oils declined due to the farm bill's subsidy to farmers growing commodity crops. currently, the least expensive food available is also the most caloric and the least nutritious: for example, a dollar's worth of cookies or potato chips yields 1200 calories, while a dollar's worth of carrots yields only 250 calories. u.s. farmers feed commodity crops to livestock that provide the country with meat, milk, and other products. essential nutrients are taken away when cows are fed corn and/or soybeans instead of a natural grass diet. a 2014 university of utah study claimed that "grass-fed beef has been shown to be higher in health-promoting nutrients, omega-3 fatty acids, and cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acid (cla) than beef that is fed grain." ultimately, the u.s. government provides the subsidy for grain-fed livestock that causes farmers who raise grass-fed livestock financial stress and competition problems; hence, the u.s. government is partially responsible for causing increased rates of obesity and its associated serious co-morbid health conditions/diseases in its citizens. the government works to lower these rates but does not ratify or eliminate the subsidies partially responsible for their increase. an example of attempts the u.s. government has made to combat obesity is the 2008 farm bill's funding of community gardens located primarily in low income neighborhoods. a michigan study of 766 adults in low-income neighborhoods showed that community garden participants were 3.5 times more likely to consume fruits and vegetables at least 5 times each day, and to consume more than 1.4 times the amount of fruits and vegetables than those who did not participate in community gardening. in addition, children who participate in a community garden tend to eat healthier and become interested in farming and eating locally grown food. the 2008 farm bill also attempted to lower the cost of purchasing vegetables; researchers found that lowering vegetable costs by just 10% increased produce purchases by low-income families by 7%. food movement solutions food justice the food justice movement works to address the obesity epidemic by promoting access to affordable and healthy food to communities. the new york-based non-profit organization just food defines food justice as "communities exercising their right to grow, sell, and eat healthy food." underlying this discourse is the belief that healthy food is a right of every person, regardless of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or community. as a potential remedy for obesity, food justice advocates support providing affordable, quality food through community supported agriculture and the slow food movement. proponents seek to empower historically disadvantaged communities by advocating equal access to healthy food for all people. while commending the movement for making healthy food more accessible, critics of this discourse claim the movement does not call into question the structural dynamics that make obesity a likely risk for many people. in addition, critics claim the movement offers alternative food as a solution to obesity but does not consider how food itself is produced and who is involved in production and consumption decisions. food sovereignty the food sovereignty movement seeks to increase empowerment fostered by the food justice movement by addressing structural issues of the food system. leading food sovereignty organization via campesina defines food sovereignty as " peoples', country's, or state union's right to define their agricultural and food policy". advocates believe that healthy food is a right of all people in every country, and that people should participate in food production and consumption decisions. to that end, the movement seeks to empower those most affected by the obesity epidemic by including them in the process of brainstorming and creating alternatives to the current food system.