Food Policies Supporting Keto in Isolated Communities

Food policies shape local food environments to supply communities with diverse and nutritious foods. By supporting projects introducing healthier foods and promoting dietary diversity—the ketogenic diet is one—food policies can help address gaps in remote or underserved communities.

Encouraging the availability of raw foods, whole foods, and other foods provides individuals with the ability to make healthy choices and long-term population health. Robust food policies can be a key driver in making healthy foods of great diversity available everywhere.

Significance of Food Policy

Food policy affects food selection and availability, especially in those communities that experience food insecurity in America. Federal policies, for instance, the U.S. Farm Bill, allocate funds to important nutrition programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and provide food for low-income households.

These initiatives not only help to alleviate hunger but also contribute to the economy by enhancing food sales, generating employment, and supporting local food systems. In addition, policies that encourage the use of SNAP benefits at farmers' markets help bridge the gap between food-insecure neighborhoods and fresh, healthy food while also helping local farmers.

Along with nutrition programs, food policies influence agricultural production and distribution, access to and affordability of food in low-income communities. Past policies, such as the Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of 1933, were initially designed to stabilize food prices and benefit needy farmers by controlling surpluses.

Modern iterations of those policies still shape the agricultural sector, dictating what is grown and how it reaches the consumer. By focusing on food production, economic incentives, and food safety standards, overall food policies aim to alleviate food deserts and provide communities in economic hardships with diverse and nutritious food options.^[1]

Build Back Better Policy

The Build Back Better policy supports ketogenic diets in isolated communities by increasing food access, improving supply chains, and addressing food inequalities. The policy's investment in production, processing, distribution, and market opportunities for food ensures residents of rural and underserved communities increased access to a diverse array of healthy foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables and healthy fats required for a ketogenic diet.

By constructing robust local and regional food systems, the program reduces reliance on long-distance shipments of food, which can lead to shortages and limited options in far-off regions. This diversity of food allows communities to include and sustain a ketogenic diet more easily, resulting in better health and reducing the prevalence of diet-associated health issues, such as obesity and diabetes.

The Build Back Better program also provides funds and incentives to make keto-friendly options affordable so that small and medium-sized food producers can utilize them, permitting local businesses to provide keto-friendly options at a reasonable price.

By investing in robust supply chains and equitable market access, the policy helps create economic opportunities for farmers and food processors and a healthier and more sustainable food system. Rural and remote communities can overcome supply chain inefficiencies and have better access to ketogenic-compatible foods through these strategic investments, ultimately encouraging healthier eating and improved long-term public health outcomes.^[2]

Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI)

Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI) is one of the most important policies facilitating nutritional access to remote and underserved communities and is, therefore, most beneficial to keto dieters. HFFI lowers the barriers to entry for healthy, high-quality, low-carb foods essential for a keto diet by providing financial and technical assistance to new fresh-food retailers and supply chains.

Fresh produce, quality meats, and unsaturated fats are not readily accessible in the majority of rural and poor communities and are replaced with ultra-processed food high in carbohydrates. HFFI investments in supermarkets, farmers' markets, and food cooperatives increase the availability of fresh whole foods to enable residents to make healthier food choices that align with keto diets.

Additionally, the growth in HFFI funding, like the $40 million in 2024 in local and regional partnership grants, aids in the development of sustainable food systems for the benefit of keto diets. By investing in local food businesses and supply chains, the program fosters economic development as well as continued access to whole, healthy foods.

This strategy improves health outcomes by reducing diet-related diseases such as diabetes and obesity, in addition to improving community resilience through food sovereignty. For those in far-flung regions, HFFI acts as a conduit to better health by bridging communities to nutrient-rich foods that facilitate ketogenic and other health-focused dietary patterns.^[3]