MAHA Policy part 1: USDA
There has been much talk recently about ‘Making America Healthy Again’ and ending the war on public health. But beyond memes about ‘banning seed oils’ or mandatory bench presses, most people don’t know what concrete steps RFK Jr can take to fix our food and health systems- and many don’t realize how much power he actually has to do so.
As CEO of the fastest growing healthy snack brand ever, we've bumped up against dozens of annoying federal regulations- many of which RFK can get rid of with the stroke of a pen. Without further ado, here is part 1 of what RFK can actually do to Make America Healthy Again.
End the federal farm subsidies. Unhealthy processed food may appear cheap, but you’re still paying for it. That’s because you, the taxpayer, via the USDA, subsidize mega-farmers to grow low quality, pesticide intensive food, like GMO corn and soy. The law that started this system was passed during WWII to ensure a consistent food supply, but it’s no longer necessary. If we’re going to subsidize anyone, it should be small farmers who grow quality, nutrient dense food. Not large farms (who don’t need the money anyway) using toxic chemicals to grow nutrient-void crops.
End the crop insurance scam. One of the many reasons why farmers prefer to grow pesticide-ridden mono crops is because they are easy to insure. So long as the farmer planted the correct Monsanto seeds and sprayed the right Monsanto pesticides at the right time; should the crops fail, they will be covered. Insurance is complex, and the more standardized the insured system is, the easier it is to insure. There are many cases where farmers will make more money from a failed crop than a successful one because of this payout. It’s not immediately clear how to solve this. But any incentives that encourage farmers to grow less quantity or quality of food are inherently harmful to the country and disrespectful of our land, and should be fixed.
Legalize raw milk. The main reason we even have pasteurization is because refrigeration wasn’t widespread when these laws were written. But now we have it. Not only does the raw milk ban deprive Americans of an entire category of nutrient dense foods, it also increases the centralization of the industry and makes costs higher. Instead of selling to a dairy processor that then resells it to the stores, the removal of the processing middlemen would increase the localization and decrease costs of dairy products.
Revamp organic standards. USDA Organic is a valuable certification of quality, but it has been greenwashed by large food producers who find loopholes (often involving imported foods) or violate the spirit of the law. These should be reevaluated and eliminated, the standards made more stringent, and USDA subsidies should be available to any farm that would like to be certified but is unable to afford the certification process.
Stop paying for fallow land. The USDA pays farmers outright to leave millions of acres fallow every year. While there can be important conservation reasons for leaving land un-utilized, in recent years this program has been wielded politically in order to control the quantity and quality of the food supply. If land can be ecologically farmed/grazed, and we know from Allan Savory’s work that proper farming techniques are actually beneficial to the land, then it should be. There’s no good reason for us to spend taxpayer dollars to produce less food, as it only increases the prices of food for American consumers and leaves us strategically vulnerable to potential shortages.
Require ingredient labels on produce. Pure produce was never required to display ingredient labels, because until very recently, there were no other ingredients than what you can see with your own two eyes. Sadly, that has changed. Many fruits and vegetables are coated with synthetic waxes or other substances designed to preserve freshness or improve appearance. If these substances are used, the produce should be clearly labeled so consumers can choose whether or not they want to buy produce with those additives.
Food stamps for farms. Food stamps are basically a government subsidy for Coca Cola. The vast majority of food stamps are spent on cheap processed food that makes their purchasers more unhealthy, increasing the costs of their (also government subsidized) healthcare. Preventing food stamps from being used on crappy food, or at least applying a multiplier when used on quality food/at farmers markets, would help our poorest citizens buy better food and help dismantle the food deserts that plague poor areas.
The Food Pyramid. Everyone’s dietary needs are different, so the task of creating a food pyramid that perfectly applies to everyone is nigh impossible. However, there are certain things that no one should be eating in any amounts. Either come up with something that works, or stop even trying. Just tell people what poisons to avoid instead.
Comments
17 comments
Lisa Bates
Brilliant!
Stacey Header
Thank you! I have eaten clean and healthy for years, but much of this was ‘new’ information that I was not aware of as a consumer. Thank you for educating us and I look forward to what can be done to Make America Healthy Again.
John McGrew
Savory’s work is about proper grazing management, not farming, especially in arid and semi arid areas where farming is not practical without irrigation.
Nancy Parn
Great article! Keep it going :)
Sam Smith
Great essay! Agree 100%
Heather Hovis
Love this and behind these solutions!
Sarah Pedro
Amen! 10000% agree!
Joyce Heckman
Securing fresh food from fertile soil, challenges to the organic and raw milk movements
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/renewable-agriculture-and-food-systems/article/securing-fresh-food-from-fertile-soil-challenges-to-the-organic-and-raw-milk-movements/18325E375E068A538E07EF4E6F6ABA22
Alexa Wilson
I hope RFK Jr puts yalls chips in stores!!!! Every bag of chips I’m finding in stores are filled with Seed Oils and other terrible Chemicals that shouldn’t be in there in the first place.
Janis Ackerman
I’m on board. I’m guessing that you already know that eliminating these outdated laws will be an extreme uphill battle. It doesn’t help that Susie Wiles has been a lobbyist for many anti health clients. And she is probably the only member of Trumps inner circle who knows the government processes and power players that are involved in all issues legislative. But it’s worth a shot.
Grant Esser
Go RFK Jr.! So stoked to see the changes coming to the food industry!
Lora Huff
Great ideas! Fingers crossed that most, if not all will happen! Thanks for keeping healthy snack food within our reach in the meantime!!
Loren Cook II
This article is spot on and great to read. I`ve learned more about the food we eat in the past couple of years and it is a powerful thing to know about.
RFK Jr. will do a fantastic job as his past history indicates with multiple rulings that he won.
MASA chips taste so much better than the regular seek oil chips.
One can feel not guilty eating a healthier chip.
There is no reason why they have to put all the chemicals in processed foods to begin with.
Thank you for sharing the article and let`s look forward to positive healthier changes with our food
system.
Marsha Reeves
Thanks for this! The legacy media is really hitting him hard and it’s great to see the other side of this story.
Kelley
👏 BRAVO! I cant wait to see what gets implemented.
Adrienne
Love this! Love RFK JR! Can’t wait to see the amazing, clean, smart, Safe for Americans programs he start this us a great list!!!!!
Sheri Ambrose
Send to Children’s Health Defense!