Interest group and website information
Food Policy Action (established in 2012) was created from collaboration efforts of U.S. food policy leaders for holding legislators accountable on those votes that have a direct impact on the food and farming industry in the country. Its website contains key information about the interest group as well as the key principles for which the organization stands.
Beliefs of the Interest group
Food Policy Actions believes in the importance of the food the nation consumes on a daily basis; thus, advocating for good policies that promote healthy and sustainable food can help to answer a lot of problems that the food system is currently facing, namely, sustainable farming, food safety, and hunger (Food Policy Action, 2017). Firstly, the interest group encourages the education of the public to vote for food policy leaders that support sustainability; secondly, it promotes policies of healthy diets and the fight against hunger in both U.S. and abroad; thirdly, it protects and maintains sustainable food production systems such as fisheries and farms.
Policy action
Among the latest policy actions, the interest group launched a media campaign called A Place at the Table targeted at inspiring American policymakers to take action in making efforts to end hunger in the country a national priority (Food Policy Action, 2017).
Committees the interest group lobbies
Based on the views of the organization and the support from activists like Michelle Obama, Food Policy Action is the most interested in lobbying the Green Party of the United States, which is also concerned with the issue of environmental sustainability and the preservation of local farms. Currently, the Green Party is troubled by the route the new government would take regarding environmental protection, so it needs the support from similar-thinking activists to push the agenda of sustainability in the Congress. The Eco-Action Committee of the Green Party can become a reliable partner for Food Policy Action. However, a small percentage of both Republicans and Democrats are beginning to be more active in trying to address the challenges of the U.S. food industry, so cooperating with the representatives of those parties with regards to food policy promotion can also be promising.
The title of the legislation
The legislation in which Food Policy Action can be interested in S.616 for securing the food and agriculture systems of the United States in the process of decision-making concerning foreign investment and other matters (“S.616 – Food Security is National Security Act of 2017,” 2017).
The key sponsors and their party affiliation
Senator Chuck Grassley (Republican) is the main sponsor of S.616 while Senators Debbie Stabenow (Democrat, Michigan) and Joni Ernst (Republican, Iowa) act as co-sponsors of the legislation.
Its current status within Congress
Because the legislation has been created fairly recently, the latest action was recorded on 03/14/2016 – S.616 was read twice in the Senate and then referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs (“S.616 – Food Security is National Security Act of 2017,” 2017).
Personal reaction to this legislation
The bill supporting the need in reconsidering the security of the food and agriculture sector of the country is a step towards establishing practices of sustainability, which is also supported by Food Policy Action. Despite the fact that the legislation is currently in its primary stages of development, it has some potential if the appropriate players are involved in its promotion in Congress. Because the government rarely took into consideration the impact of the decisions about foreign investments will have on the national food and farming industry, S.616 is an “awakening call” that may bring awareness to the problems local farmers usually face.
References
Food Policy Action. (2017). “A Place at The Table” launches national anti-hunger media campaign featuring first lady Michelle Obama. Web.
S.616 – Food security is National Security Act of 2017. (2017).