FrontMatter -- Reviewers -- Preface -- Contents -- Summary -- PART I: The U.S. Food System -- 1 Introduction -- 2 Overview of the U.S. Food System -- PART II: Effects of the U.S. Food System -- Part II: Effects of the U.S. Food System -- 3 Health Effects of the U.S. Food System -- 4 Environmental Effects of the U.S. Food System -- 5 Social and Economic Effects of the U.S. Food System -- PART III: The Framework -- 6 The U.S. Food and Agriculture System as a Complex Adaptive System -- 7 A Framework for Assessing the Food System and Its Effects -- 7-A Annexes: Examples to Illustrate the Framework -- ANNEX 1: Dietary Recommendations for Fish Consumption -- ANNEX 2: U.S. Biofuels Policy -- ANNEX 3: Attaining Recommended Amounts of Fruits and Vegetables in the American Diet -- ANNEX 4: Nitrogen in Agroecosystems -- ANNEX 5: Comparing Hen Housing Practices and Their Effects on Various Domains -- 8 Epilogue -- Appendix A: Open Session Agendas -- Appendix B: Selected Metrics, Methodologies, Data, and Models -- Appendix C: Acronyms -- Appendix D: Committee Member Biographical Sketches.