Urge Congress to finalize a healthy Farm Bill



Pretty much every day I read some article reminding me to eat healthy. Local farm stands are popping up on every street corner. The new U.S. Department of Agriculture’s MyPlate guidelines say half our plate should be full of fruits and vegetables. It seems like our nation is finally on a health kick—did Congress miss the memo? They are currently debating a Farm Bill that continues to throw tax payer dollars at commodity crops rather than supporting healthy food and healthy farms. Check out our new infographic showing just how easy it would be to change our food system. —Karla
 

Science in Action

fruits and vegetables

Urge Congress to finalize a healthy Farm Bill.
Why are we spending billions in taxpayer dollars to subsidize unhealthy junk foods while farmers growing healthy fruits and vegetables get little to no support? Our chance to change all this is now! Tell your members of Congress to finalize a Farm Bill that prioritizes healthy food, protects our environment, and supports local economies.

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Cartoon of the Month

 

Cartoon: Farm Bill

 

    
 

Ask the Scientist

Ricardo Salvador

Ricardo Salvador,
Ph. D.
Director and
Senior Scientist,
Food & Environment Program

This month, Senior Staff Writer Seth Shulman sat down for a Q & A session with Ricardo Salvador, the new director and senior scientist of the Food and Environment Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Here is an excerpt from their conversation:

"...one of the things I want to do is make sure we are connecting agricultural issues to people’s lives—to issues of social justice, the environment, the economy, and especially to issues of health. For example, I hope we can increase public awareness about the huge public health care costs associated with diseases like hypertension and diabetes. These thoroughly preventable diseases are the result of a default food system that exists only because it is successful as a business proposition for some large agribusiness firms but remains deaf to its effects on our public health..." MORE

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This Just In

vegetable farm

Removing obstacles for farmers who want to plant healthy food.
Despite the fact that our government is telling us to eat more fruits and vegetables, only 2 percent of U.S. farmland is currently planted with them. A new UCS report, Ensuring the Harvest, explores U.S. farm policies that present serious obstacles for farmers who want to plant healthy food and recommends policy changes to make it easier for farmers to diversify their crops and plant more acres of fruits and vegetables. MORE

 

 

The Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading U.S. science-based nonprofit organization working for a healthy environment and a safer world. Founded in 1969, UCS is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and also has offices in Berkeley, Chicago and Washington, D.C. To subscribe or visit go to:  http://www.ucsusa.org