The Farm Bill, in its current state, is a public health failure

Congress is currently trying to pass a long-overdue Farm Bill as lawmakers debate where, and how, billions in taxpayer resources should be allocated.  

Sadly, those involved in shaping the current legislation seem to be more interested in protecting special interests than advancing the bill’s primary objectives: establishing a healthy food system, supporting a wide group of farmers who supply it and ensuring all Americans have access to a safe and nutritious food supply.  

The bill plodding its way on Capitol Hill falls short of addressing these priorities. In its current form, it protects some of the biggest agricultural businesses in the world, marginalizes small and organic food farmers who want to build a healthier America and ignores the needs of poor children and families.  

In addition, the version that recently passed the U.S. House Agriculture Committee rejects many of the stated goals of the Trump administration’s own Make America Healthy Again Commission, spearheaded by U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.  

Last year, the commission released a report blaming the rise in chronic disease to the widespread intake of unhealthy food. The report even identified specific ingredients — such as “ultra-processed grains” and high fructose corn syrup — as being associated with type 2 diabetes and child obesity.  

But the pending Farm Bill stands to be a potential windfall for large farmers of corn — a key ingredient in the nearly $10 billion high fructose corn syrup market. The draft legislation........

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