With the wild presidential season nearing it’s end, it’s crunch time for voters to make decisions on who they want to be the next POTUS. And while there are many issues to consider, food policy seems to be a bit overshadowed by many others this election season.
Whether you’re #WithHer or not, the more information you can gather going into an election, the better, and Hillary Clinton has made public statements on food policy, which are important to keep in mind as November 4th draws nearer.
First, there’s climate change. In contrast to her opponent Donald Trump, Clinton takes climate change very seriously, and her platform plans to aggressively implement plans for the United States to do all it can to slow global warming.
An estimated third of global greenhouse gas emissions come from agriculture, which also uses 70% of the world's water supply. Clearly, this use of resources is unsustainable, and tackling climate change would undoubtably require innovation in more sustainable food systems.Clinton has also continuously voiced a strong opinion about the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or ‘SNAP’ for short; also formerly known as ‘food stamps’). She has made her intentions of protecting the SNAP program quite clear, calling it “our nation’s most important anti-hunger program,” and vowing to expand it.
Clinton has tweeted: "What happens to kids in families cut from unemployment insurance & food stamps? They're #2SmartToFail, & deserve an equal chance to succeed," indicating that she believes such benefits are essential in empowering children and their families and ensuring a productive society.
She also plans on doubling funding for SNAP in the Farmers Market Promotion Program and Local Food Promotion Programs, which double SNAP dollar values at farmer's markets and other places that offer fresh and local fruits and vegetables (meaning that for every $1 SNAP credit a person has, they can purchase $2 of fresh fruits and vegetables). Such programs exist in New York City, and Clinton wants to expand them elsewhere.
Clinton also plans to support rural America as a means to combat agriculture tycoons, promising to provide more resources to small and family farms by increasing their funding, building strong local and regional food systems, and launching access to a “Clean Energy Challenge” to incentivize clean energy, tools, and resources.
The current structure of agriculture in the USA supports a smaller number of large farms, providing them with subsidies and insurance for certain crops, largely corn, wheat, and soy, much of which is used for animal agricultural feed. Crops subsidized by the government inevitably end up more present in our food supply. By providing more resources to small family farms, the shape of the food system could be greatly impacted.
Hillary Clinton also unapologetically fully supports the use of GMOs, stating her belief that they can play a large role in combating world hunger. At the 2014 Bio International Convention, she said, "I stand in favor of using seeds and products that have a proven track record," and cited drought-resistant seeds as a way to ensure people do not go hungry when faced with climate challenge.
Her stance has been met with controversy by those who believe GMOs are detrimental to health, but Mrs. Clinton stands behind her opinion, suggesting a lack of understanding is what scares people from GMOs. She has acknowledged, however, a consumer's right to be informed and supports GMO labeling.
When it comes to animal farming, Clinton has a record of supporting efforts aimed to stop the overuse of antibiotics on farm animals, as well as research to study their effects.
Clinton also has very strong opinions on two big issues that plague our country today: the paradox of battling childhood hunger (potentially through expanding programs like SNAP and WIC, see above) and childhood obesity.
She has called childhood obesity an epidemic, and the Clinton Foundation works with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation Foundation (founded by the American Heart Association), which is an extensive program that works with companies, communities, schools, and healthcare professionals to try to transform systems and communities that prevent children and their families from living healthy lives.
The Alliance houses a "Healthy Schools Program" to tackle soft drinks and promote healthier foods and exercise habits in schools.
And then, of course, there’s her husband, Bill. The former POTUS is a proud vegan, claiming his switch to an almost completely plant-based diet after a quadruple bypass in 2010 helped him drop excessive body weight and has helped kept him alive.
Only time will tell who will claim the oval office in the months to come, but with the election date creeping closer, it’s great to educate yourself on these issues. Oh, and if you’re not registered to vote yet, you can do that here.