Why Aren't We Talking About Food Policy This Election Season?

As the days before the landmark 2016 presidential election dwindle down into single digits, we've heard plenty of policy arguments and takedowns between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on foreign policy, inner-city crime, and email servers. But very little — if any — time during this election has been devoted to food policy, even though diner stops and candidates' eating habits are scrutinized on the campaign trail.

From rampant food safety issues (foodborne illness outbreaks have tripled in recent years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), to the skyrocketing obesity rate, and — of course — the ever-evolving GMO debate, and whether or not we should label genetically modified foods, have all barely been mentioned as major issues throughout the election season.

"There's been almost no discourse about food, nutrition and health in this election cycle," John Robbins, Food Revolution Network president, told the Concord Monitor.

This is not for lack of trying. Food personalities like chef Tom Colicchio (Craft, 'wichcraft), have been adamant about the importance of food policies in America. Colicchio wrote a strongly worded Op-Ed in The New York Times against misleading GMO regulations.

Food is one of the only election "topics" that bisects most of the hot-button issues in this election season: Climate change, immigration, labor, and health.

"Terrorism is the only problem that is unrelated to this, but somehow in Washington, D.C., food and its connection to health and the economy has pretty much escaped the attention of everyone from Congress to Senate to the candidates for president," Dariush Mozaffarian, dean of Tufts University's Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, told The New York Times.

Since CNN, Fox, and other major news networks have not devoted time to food policy issues — either on or off the debate stage — we have broken down several of Clinton and Trump's stances on major food and nutrition-related policies.

Food Security and Hunger

Hillary Clinton: Clinton believes in upholding the food stamp assistance program SNAP, developed under the Obama administration, and would plan to expand access to fresh produce for SNAP participants. In 2013, she tweeted, "What happens to kids in families cut from unemployment insurance & food stamps? They're #2SmallToFail, & deserve an equal chance to succeed."

Donald Trump: Trump wants to break the farm bill and SNAP program away from the United States Department of Agriculture to operate as a separate entity. He also firmly believes food stamps should be temporary and more strictly managed, according to his book Time to Get Tough.

GMOs

Hillary Clinton: Clinton's main agricultural advisor is USDA head Tom Vilsack, an ardent supporter of GMOs, Big Agriculture, and supporter of the nationwide GMO labeling bill. The Clinton Foundation has also received major funding from Monsanto — the largest producer of GMOs in the world. Clinton herself has repeatedly spoken in favor of GMOs: "I stand in favor of using seeds and products that have a proven track record. There's a big gap between what the facts are and what perceptions are," she said in 2014. She also supported Vilsack's efforts to pass a mandatory labeling law.

Donald Trump: Trump's stance on GMOs is a bit more muddled, though during the primaries he retweeted this quip: "Ben Carson is now leading in the polls in Iowa. Too much Monsanto in the corn creates issues in the brain," which was soon deleted. When asked by the Iowa Farm Bureau his exact stance on GMOs, Trump said that "yes" he supports GMOs but opposes mandatory labeling, according to Food Revolution.

Minimum Wage

Hillary Clinton: Has repeatedly stated her approval of raising the minimum wage, and only recently came around to supporting the Fight for $15. According to her website, "Hillary believes we are long overdue in raising the minimum wage. She has supported raising the federal minimum wage to $12, and believes that we should go further than the federal minimum through state and local efforts, and workers organizing and bargaining for higher wages, such as the Fight for 15 and recent efforts in Los Angeles and New York to raise their minimum wage to $15."

Donald Trump: Trump has notoriously flip-flopped on this issue, calling at first for a $10 minimum wage in July, but in May had said that he didn't think there should be a federal minimum wage at all and it should be left up to the states.

Health and Obesity

Hillary Clinton: One of the major pillars of the Clinton Foundation has been health and wellness, particularly for young people in schools. Recent investigations into the contents of Clinton's email server have turned up correspondences between Coca-Cola and Clinton, trying to persuade her campaign to lighten up on the support for a soda tax, which was recently passed in Philadelphia.

Donald Trump: Fast food has been a major staple of Trump's diet throughout the campaign, and he has made no bones about his love for McDonald's, KFC, and taco bowls. Trump's own obesity has also been subject to debate. Trump's agricultural policy manager is Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner. Obesity rates in Texas have climbed 12 percent since 2000. In an interview on The Dr. Oz Show, Trump said about obesity in schools, "A lot of schools aren't providing proper food because they have budget problems, and they're buying cheaper food and not as good of food.....I'm a big believer in the whole world of sports. I would try to open that up."

Antibiotics in Meat

Hillary Clinton: She has an entire section on her website devoted to animal welfare, including the opposition to antibiotics usage in livestock.

Donald Trump: Has never discussed or published opinions on the usage of antibiotics in our food.

Agriculture and Farming

Hillary Clinton: She supports the "farm to fork" program and has boasted about supporting organic produce since her tenure as First Lady. Clinton's agricultural policies would strengthen USDA grant programs for rural communities, increase funding for rural communities, and support renewable energy sources like solar panels. She has twice voted against acts that would provide farm subsidies—once in 2006 for Hawaii sugarcane growers, and once in 2007 that would limit farm subsidies for married couples.  

Donald Trump: Donald Trump has spoken about lowering tax rates on family farms down to 15 percent. His agricultural policy advisor, cattle farmer Charles Herbster said he would focus on reducing regulation in the industry. He has also advocated separating SNAP food stamps from the farm bill—the multipiece legislation that covers subsidies, credit, conservation, and research.