At this point in the campaign race, we know the candidates’ beliefs on issues like war, immigration and Wall Street. But what about food?
I wrangled all the information I could find–from tweets to votes–to see where the candidates stand on issues of food policy. Keep in mind, I’m not saying who’s right or wrong, just pulling together quotes and votes to help us understand how each candidate views the issues.
If I have noted “No public comment available” but you know of a public comment, please add it to the comments below with a link to the original source.
Hillary Clinton
On food security: Clinton has tweeted: “What happens to kids in families cut from unemployment insurance & food stamps? They’re #2SmallToFail, & deserve an equal chance to succeed.”
She plans to double funding for the Farmers Market Promotion Program and the Local Food Promotion Programs to support Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients’ access to fresh food.
On climate change: After the Paris Agreement in December 2015, Clinton released a statement, saying: “This is an historic step forward in meeting one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century–the global crisis of climate change… We cannot afford to be slowed by the climate skeptics or deterred by the defeatists who doubt America’s ability to meet this challenge.”
On fracking: According to Grist, “She’s all for it. She says it needs to be conducted and regulated properly so it doesn’t cause excessive environmental harm, but she believes that can be done. Which puts her totally in line with President Obama, and out of line with most of the environmental community.”
On farm subsidies: According to Ballotpedia: “Clinton voted in favor of an amendment to HR 2419 – Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, that would have limited the amount of subsidies that married couples deriving a portion of their income from farming or related activities could receive.”
On junk food: “Hillary Appoints Former Junk Food Lobbyist As Head Of Black Outreach,” states a headline on Alternet. Judge as you will.
On Fair Labor Standards for farm workers: As Secretary of State, Clinton called Laura Germino, a campaign coordinator for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, an “anti-trafficking hero.”
On the minimum wage: Clinton supports raising the minimum wage to $15 in New York and $12 elsewhere.
On antibiotics for farm animals: The Humane Society writes: “Clinton’s record is that she has taken a leadership role in efforts to stop the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals… Clinton spearheaded efforts in Congress to study the effects of certain antibiotics in animal feeds and to prohibit the USDA from buying chickens for the federal school lunch program that have been injected with cipro-like antibiotics called fluoroquinolones. Her successful efforts on the antibiotic issue have helped people and animals, and have informed her outlook on the broader issues related to the production of animals on industrial factory farms.”
On GMO foods: “I stand in favor of using seeds and products that have a proven track record,” Clinton said at the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) convention. “The term ‘genetically modified’ sounds Frankensteinish and turns people off. Drought-resistant sounds really like something you’d want. There is a big gap between what the facts are, and what the perceptions are.”
Clinton has various ties to Monsanto through the Clinton Global Initiative, her Super PAC and the Clinton Foundation.
On pesticides: No public comment available.
On food safety: She spoke on C-Span about Global Food Safety in 2012. Check it out here.
On supporting new farmers: Clinton plans to double federal funding for a new farmer education program as well as and build her “Farm-to-Fork” initiative by “doubling funding for farmers markets and direct food sales.”
Bernie Sanders
On food security: According to Feel the Bern, he has supported SNAP benefits and “a diverse array of other nutrition-impacting pieces of legislation.”
On climate change: “I happen to believe that climate change is the great environmental crisis that we face, and what the scientist [sic] tell us is that if we do not get our act together in the near future, a bad situation will become much worse.”
On fracking: According to Feel the Bern, “Bernie is proud that Vermont has banned fracking, and believes the entire United States should adopt similar measures.”
On farm subsidies: Sanders’ website states: “It is unacceptable that the top 10% of farms collect 75% of farm subsidies, while the bottom 62% do not receive any subsidies. We have to adopt policies that will turn this around.”
On junk food: No public opinion available.
On Fair Labor Standards for farm workers: Sanders has stated: “The norm is a disaster, and the extreme is slavery” in regards to the working conditions of the Immokalee tomato farmers.
On the minimum wage: Sanders introduced legislation for a $15 minimum wage for all workers, including fast food and restaurant workers.
On antibiotics for farm animals: No public opinion available.
On GMO foods: According to Feel the Bern, Sanders supports allowing states to require labels on foods containing GMOs based on the consumer’s right-to-know, but does not believe that GMOs are necessarily bad. “People have a right to know what is in the food they’re eating,” he has said.