Here’s an action alert from our friends at the Environmental Working Group about the food and farm bill now moving through Congress:
Do you want a farm bill that invests more in healthy food? If so, we need your help.
The farm bill — legislation that makes all the difference when it comes to your food — is about to come up for debate on the Senate floor. This is your chance to turn the farm bill into a healthier food bill, and we need you to stand with us now.
As it’s currently written, this bill will give away billions of taxpayer dollars in subsidies to corporate mega-farms while doing too little for healthy food programs.
Yesterday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) announced that she will offer an amendment to cut crop insurance subsidies, restore cuts to funding for food stamps and redirect $500 million to healthy food programs.
We need you to stand with the Environmental Working Group and 70 other organizations and food leaders like Michael Pollan and Mario Batali in urging the Senate to invest more in healthy foods, reject cuts to nutrition programs and cut egregious subsidies. Your senators need to know that you want a healthy food bill right now — before they vote.
Click here to email your senators demanding support for Sen. Gillibrand’s amendment and healthy food.
With a $100-billion-a-year price tag, the federal farm bill dictates what types of crops are sown, how farmers grow and sell the food you eat and what food assistance is available to all Americans.
In a national poll last year, 78 percent of us said that making nutritious and healthy foods more affordable and accessible should be a top priority in the farm bill. Unfortunately, the bill approved by the Senate Agriculture Committee falls far short. Tens of billions of dollars will go to crop insurance subsidies for corporate mega-farms and insurance companies, while programs supporting food assistance and healthy food go drastically underfunded.
Sen. Gillibrand’s amendment would go a long way toward turning the farm bill into a healthy food bill. It will cut the outrageous crop insurance subsidies, restore cuts to nutrition programs and redirect $500 million to provide healthy fruit and vegetable snacks to school children.
Your senators need to hear from you right now – before they vote. Demand support for Sen. Gillibrand’s amendment to restore cuts to food stamps and invest in healthy food.
Click here to stand with EWG Action Fund and the healthy food movement. Tell your senators to support Sen. Gillibrand’s anti-hunger and healthy food amendment.
Thank you for taking action. Together, we can turn this year’s farm bill into a healthy food bill.
