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Food is becoming political, and many groups are looking to make it part of the national dialogue. Food Policy Action’s (FPA) National Food Policy Scorecard, which rates members of Congress on their food and farm votes, is signaling to voters that they should vote for politicians who support a good food agenda.
“As soon as one legislator loses their job over how they vote on food issues, we’re going to send a clear message to Congress that we’re organized and we’re viable and strong,” celebrity chef and FPA co-founder Tom Colicchio told the New York Times.
Last month, FPA, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the HEAL Food Alliance, launched a “Plate of the Union” Campaign, releasing new polling data showing mounting evidence that food could become a galvanizing election issue in 2016.
Credit to working on food at the highest political levels goes to the First Lady as well as politicos working for change food policy from the inside—from U.S. Representative Chellie Pingree, who has proposed new legislation to reduce food waste, to Congressman Tim Ryan, who is perhaps one of the most outspoken politicians working to fix food.
While political change can feel like a slow moving tanker ship, it’s happening at a quicker pace in the marketplace, where eaters are voting with their dollars, causing some news outlets to declare a “war on Big Food.”
In the end, we can’t just buy our way to a better food system. The next generation of eaters will need to translate that desire for better food into a real political agenda. Fortunately many in the food movement are writing a road map.
Read full, original post: Editor’s Note: Food is Political
