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Of all American success stories, the system that supplies food in abundance should be at the top of the list. As with all large and complex systems, however, there are a number of key features of the food system that require urgent attention. Today UCS is releasing a short video that will walk you through some of these food system problems and ask you to join our call for the next President to take the lead in solving them. The good news is that these features of the system can be addressed—with vision and leadership—because we can name them and we know what would be better: Americans can be justifiably proud of the bedrock value that “nothing is ever good enough,” and that we can always figure out how to make things better. While the current food system produces abundantly for those of us who can afford it, it contributes toward creating an unhealthy environment, one that features artificially cheap “choices” (Which greasy burger? Which greasy pizza? Which sugary soft drink?) that make us and keeps us sick. And the system as currently practiced, promoted and subsidized exploits both people and nature. We are a better people and nation than that. Agricultural, nutrition and health science exist to make things better. And we all want things to get better. Cross-partisan polling tells us that Americans understand that there is a food system, that the current system benefits some of us but makes most of us sick, that while healthful food is abundant it is price out of range for many of us, that government policies play a heavy role in making things this way, and—most importantly—that an overwhelming majority of people across the political spectrum would vote for a president who prioritizes improving the food system. The common thread among all the issues requiring attention to improve the food system is that they are matters of policy. Congress is responsible for producing the closest thing we have to a farm and food policy, the quinquennial “Farm Bill,” and that is the policy that has largely given us the problematic system we have. To shift things, we will need executive leadership to inspire, define and implement a new way of doing things that better befits Americans and reflects the current state of scientific and health knowledge. There is political tailwind to support the first presidential candidate to realize that by fixing food many other high priority issues can also be fixed. For this reason, we are collaborating with Food Policy Action and the HEAL Food Alliance on the Plate of the Union initiative to urge all presidential candidates to include better food policy in their political platforms. Join us, for farmers, farm workers, thriving “good food” businesses, healthy families, a cleaner environment, and a flourishing nation of which we can all be proud. Support from UCS members make work like this possible. Will you join us? Help UCS advance independent science for a healthy environment and a safer world.
