The food movement “ought to celebrate” the federal law that will require disclosure of GMO ingredients in food instead of wishing for a complete victory, said Tom Colicchio, co-founder of the activist group Food Policy Action, during a pre-election webinar. FPA has targeted three lawmakers for defeat as backers of “rotten food policies.”
The GMO disclosure law, which takes effect in mid-2018, “is not everything we wanted,” which was a label on food packages, but legislative progress often is incremental, said Colicchio. The disclosure law was a far better outcome, he said, than the goal of farm-state lawmakers to keep labeling voluntary nationwide. “We actually got something here. We ought to celebrate this.”
Founded in 2012 to be the Washington voice of the food movement, FPA claimed a share of credit for the 2014 defeat of Rep. Steve Southerland, Florida Republican, who spearheaded a House Republican drive for the biggest cuts in food stamps in a generation. This year, it opposes re-election of three House Republicans, Scott Garrett of New Jersey, Rod Blum of Iowa and David Valadao of California.
Garrett’s race is rated as a toss-up by Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a political handicapper. It says Blum’s race “leans Democratic” and Valadao’s “leans Republican.”
Democrat Josh Gattheimer has raised more money than Garrett, a seven-term incumbent, in the northern New Jersey district. Blum is seeking his second term from a northeastern Iowa district and is challenged by business owner Monica Vernon, a Democrat. In California’s Central Valley, second-term incumbent David Valadao, a member of the House subcommittee in charge of the USDA and FDA budget, faces Emilio Huerta, son of a labor leader.
During a webinar, Colicchio, a celebrity chef, said Garrett, Blum and Valadao got poor marks on FPA’s scorecard of food policy issues in Congress in 2015 and 2016.
Voters can have an out-size effect on lawmakers’ stances on legislation, said Colicchio; as few as six phone calls to a congressional office can change how a lawmaker votes because they represent a direct connection to constituents, he said. With Congress due to update food stamps and farm subsidies in 2018, he said, “pay attention to it. Contact your member of Congress. Let them know how you feel about these issues.”
Asked about food waste, Colicchio replied, “Food is so cheap, we don’t treat it as something that should be cherished,” nor do people realize the vast resources expended in growing, shipping and processing food. Restaurateurs hear complaints if they cut back on portions even when patrons don’t consume the food, he said, musing about the possibility of putting a smaller serving on the table with a promise that seconds are available.