SugarScience Blog

8th Annual COAST/SSEW Symposium "Food & Addiction: Environment, Policy, and Individual Factors"

By Sugar Editor

This one day symposium brought together researchers, health professionals, and influential policy makers from the UC-wide system and beyond to explore the intersections of biology, behavior, food and addiction, and how to prevent food addiction across the lifespan for individuals and communities through academically inspired activism, institutional interventions, and public policy.

Opening remarks were delivered by UC President Janet Napolitano, who in 2014 together with UC’s 10 chancellors launched the Global Food Initiative that aims to utilize cutting edge UC driven research to help individuals and communities access safe, affordable, and nutritious food, while shaping and driving policy discussions locally and globally.

Experts on food addiction, overeating, cravings, sugar, obesity and stress at UCSF's symposium on food and addiction answered questions from the community in a Facebook Live session: (From left) Kimber Stanhope, UC Davis; Kerri Boutelle, UC San Diego; Ashley Gearhardt, University of Michigan; Barbara Laraia, UC Berkeley; Elissa Epel, UCSF.

Credit: University of California