食品和农场解决方案

农业法案是一项庞大而复杂的立法, 每五年更新一次, that sets the policy agenda and budget priorities for much of the federal government’s food-related work. 它涵盖了从营养计划到作物保险的所有内容, 农业研究, 贸易, 保护项目.

每次农业法案都需要更新, UCS identifies a list of top priorities for that version of the bill and works, 通过直接游说和动员我们的支持者, to ensure that those priorities are reflected as much as possible in the final version. 近年来, our priorities have included defending the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), 加强保护计划, and supporting new initiatives to connect farmers with local markets and to assist new farmers.

This blueprint for a healthy diet is issued jointly by the US Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services, based on recommendations by an advisory committee of scientific experts. 的 膳食指南 is revised every five years to keep up-to-date with current nutritional science. 然而, lobbying efforts have sometimes succeeded in removing or diluting scientific advice that threatens industry bottom lines. And we need to do a better job of supporting the guidelines with policy initiatives that make it easier for people to follow them.

一套联邦计划, 定期重新授权, provide funding and nutritional standards for healthy meals in our nation’s schools. 对很多学生来说, 特别是那些面临粮食不安全的家庭, a federally subsidized school lunch or breakfast may often be their only healthy meal of the day. 这对健康至关重要, 幸福, and academic success of our children that we continue to fund these programs and to set high nutritional standards for them. 的 processed food industry makes ongoing efforts to weaken these standards so they can sell more chocolate milk and tater tots. 我们必须不断地反击.

While consumer action at the individual level can make a difference, large institutions such as school systems or hospitals possess far more leverage. 优质食品采购计划(GFPPs), 已经在几个城市采用，更多的城市正在考虑采用, commit a government entity or large organization to make food buying decisions according to a set of criteria that incentivize fairness, 可持续性和地方经济效益. GFPPs are challenging to adopt and implement, but can be a powerful tool for positive change.

Not all of the work of transforming the food system through policy reform is being done at the federal level. States and municipalities can do much to move the system in the right direction. And forward-looking businesses can make themselves part of the solution by taking a proactive role in treating workers fairly, 当地采购, 可持续食物, and partnering with communities to help improve the local food environment.