September 2016

For Your Consideration

Importance of addressing the Food System in Politics

It's election season! Campaigns are in motion, rhetoric is high, debates are fiery, and yet one of the most critical issues of our time - indeed the issue that touches every single one of us, despite our privilege and power, station or purpose in life - the issue of food - is met with dead air. That's why we've decided to devote this month's issue of the Nourishing Change newsletter to policies that shape our food system. We're adding our voices to the chorus of other advocates who are calling for the candidates to take a seat at our table, and bring their forks. As far as we're concerned: No farms, no food. No wages, no food. No food, no health.

Consumers in the U.S spend 1.5 trillion dollars on food each year, and the families that fall in to the lowest income bracket spend more than 35% of their household income to put food on their tables (nearly 2.5 times the amount spent by middle income families). We currently have about 2 million farms in the United States, continuing a trend of constant decline since the 1930s when more than six millions farms dotted the landscape. Meanwhile, about half of American adults have one or more chronic health problems that are associated with poor diets. And with 42 million Americans struggling with food insecurity in 2015 (with Blacks and Hispanics disproportionately affected), there is still little to no conversation and debate about the intersections of food, hunger, health and poverty among the candidates this election season.

This conspicuous silence from candidates is not for lack of effort. Food policy advocates have been fighting to get food mentioned in the primaries and discussed in general throughout the election. The politics of our food is a question of our health, our economy, our environment and social equity. The fight for food justice is a fight for raising the minimum wage; a fight for dignity for our food and farmworkers; a fight for the protection of our land, soil and water; a fight for access to nutrition for improved health; a fight for building resilient local economies; and a fight to ensure that black lives matter.

Hillary Clinton has pledged support for family farms, beginning farmers and local food systems with her rural communities' platform as well as touted SNAP as our nation's most important anti-hunger program. And just yesterday, she published an op-ed in the New York Times describing her "plan to help America's poor." Donald Trump, meanwhile, has appointed a team to advise him on agricultural policy. Still, the lack of details and depth of analysis is alarming. There are many issues important to voters like healthcare, the economy and immigration where food and farm policy play a large part; from how government subsidies are spent to who has access to land and markets, to what qualifies as a fair wage or safe working conditions, to the quality and nutritional value of food available. Federal nutrition programs and food and agriculture policies will be affected by each candidate's policy proposals, whether they address it directly on the campaign trail or not.

Peeling back the layers of the onion that is our food system will necessitate that we address how all Americans do not have equal access to healthy, affordable food; how many of the people who grow, cook and sell our food suffer from pesticide exposure, abuses in the fields such as low wages and inconsistent hours; and the way in which the unfettered consolidation of farmland for commodity production is depleting our soils, polluting our air and water, and compromising our health. We want a food system that values everyone and policies that reflect that we all have a right to nutritious food that is sustainable produced, and affordable and accessible to all. The first step to implementing these policies, is to make sure they are part of the conversation this election.

Vote to End Hunger

Vote to End Hunger (VTEH) is a broad coalition of individuals and organizations committed to ending hunger in the U.S. and around the world by 2030. The coalition believes that it will take combined public and political will to do this. That's why they are working together with organizations across the anti-hunger sector to elevate the issues of hunger in the 2016 election. The central question they're asking to the 2016 Presidential candidates: "What will you do to end hunger, alleviate poverty, and create opportunity in the US and worldwide?"

Bill Ayres, cofounder and ambassador at WhyHunger, asks the question 'Can We Vote to End Hunger?' in his latest Huffington Post article. Read it here.

Plate of the Union

Plate of the Union is a collaborative campaign driven by Food Policy Action Education Fund, the Union of Concerned Scientists, and the HEAL Food Alliance to raise the voice of Americans who care about food and farm issues during this election season. Plate of the Union's goal is to have the next president take action to prioritize the broken food system because "the policies that shape our food system influence our health, our environment, and our economy." Learn more here.

The Plate of the Union Food Truck State Tour is also officially under way. At each of these events, Plate of the Union will be on the ground partnering with local organizers, local farmers, food chain workers, good food advocates, and chefs to spread the message of the importance of having the next president make a good food policy a priority. The stops left are Chicago, Illinois on September 29th, Des Moines, Iowa on October 11th and Durham, North Carolina on October 26th. Learn more here.

What We're Reading Now

"Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Land on Food and Farming Issues"

Food and farming are issues that did not register on the most recent Pew poll of what voters are saying are the top voting issues in 2016 election. Therefore, Modern Farmer went through food and farming issues and where our two candidates stand on them. Read more here.

"Why Have the Presidential Candidates Ignored America's Food Issues?"

"Remember the great 2016 presidential campaign debate about food and agriculture, the backbone of human nourishment and survival? Remember when the candidates were forced to articulate their stances on soil regeneration, farm subsidy inequities, labor abuse in the food industry, and how to rein in pesticides and GMOs while expanding organic diversified farming? Remember when the media pressed candidates to explain how they would make food and farming equitable, sustainable and healthful for generations to come?

You didn't forget-it never happened."

Read more here.

Representative McGovern's attention to hunger

Congressman James McGovern from Massachusetts has become known as a prominent and active advocate against hunger during his time in Congress by making fighting hunger a cornerstone of his political efforts. He has said that food insecurity is not just a matter of having enough money or food but that the country's political divide and gridlock in Washington are the main reasons hunger and food insecurity have become such a problem in the United States today. "Hunger is a political condition," McGovern told a gathering at Greenfield Community College, organized with the Food Bank of Western Mass. "We have the resources, we have the infrastructure, we have the food, everything to end hunger in this country, except the political will. That's what makes this issue so maddening."

The message back at the FRAC conference back in March and one the coalition Vote to End Hunger stands by is that by building political will we can end hunger. This is a message that Rep. McGovern clearly endorses and it's important that other people in Congress are vocal about the issues as well. Federal nutrition programs play a vital role in ending hunger, and Congress should lend their support to these critical federal food assistance programs as well as raise the minimum wage in order to help end poverty that is at the root of the hunger problem.

The Importance of Voting

HeadCount partners with WhyHunger

WhyHunger's focus for 40+ years has been to help build the movement to end hunger and poverty and to ensure everyone has the right to good, nutritious food. HeadCount is a non-partisan organization that registers voters and promotes participation in democracy. We have partnered with HeadCount to connect food access and food distribution organizations across the country with volunteers from HeadCount who will educate clients on site about the voting process, help determine if they're eligible and then register them to vote, and encourage them be a part of the movement for change in this country. Many people who are hungry have voices that should be heard and reflected in our electoral process.

How to Vote in Every State

Democracy only works when we vote. But voter laws are different in every state in America. The process for registering to vote, checking the status of your registration, voting absentee, early voting, finding your polling place, and what you need once you get there could all be different depending on where you live. But there is a Youtube channel that has made these details simpler to find for every state. You just need to watch the video for your state and you'll have all the information you need. Go to the channel 'How to Vote in Every State' here.

Resources

Report: The Impact of a $15 Minimum Wage on Hunger in America

A large part of why food insecurity plays such a role in the United States is because people cannot afford food, healthy or not. That's why movements like the Fight for 15 are so important because they are fighting to get a living wage so they can pay their bills and put food on the table. This report by The Century Foundation looks at the impact that raising the federal minimum wage would have on America's food insecurity problem. Read it here.

Help Update the Find Food Database

WhyHunger continues to expand the comprehensive Find Food database of emergency food providers (food banks, food pantries, food access sites) to include more information about healthy food and nutrition. We need your help! Please verify that your organization's profile is accurate in the database. We have new categories that will better capture the work that organizations are doing to better serve their communities, including addressing hunger and health. If you need to update your record, please email database@whyhunger.org. If your organization is not in the database, please join us here.

In This Issue

Importance of addressing the Food System in Politics

Vote to End Hunger

Plate of the Union

"Where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump Land on Food and Farming Issues"

"Why Have the Presidential Candidates Ignored America's Food Issues?"

"The Presidential Candidates Still Aren't Talking About Our Food Supply"

"Donald Trump Doesn't Understand Food"

Representative McGovern's attention to hunger

HeadCount partners with WhyHunger

How to Vote in Every State

Report: The Impact of a $15 Minimum Wage on Hunger in America

Help Update the Find Food Database

Please verify that your organization's profile is accurate in the database. To update your record, email
database@whyhunger.org. If your organization is not in the database, please join us here.

The WhyHunger Hotline number is 1-800-5-HUNGRY. Please update your records and find outreach materials here.

Nourishing Change is a space to share critical thoughts around the systemic change that needs to happen to end hunger and transform the emergency food system. We want to hear from you! Email us at nourish@whyhunger.org

Nourish Network for the Right to Food

WhyHunger

505 Eighth Avenue, Suite 2100

New York, New York 10018

nourish@whyhunger.org

212-629-8850

Contributors: Betty Fermin & Bill Ayres