Reform Our Farm and Food System

The Union of Concerned Scientists calls for a coordinated federal food policy to replace a dysfunctional system that prioritizes commodity crop subsidies over public health and sustainable farming. The document advocates for shifting subsidies toward healthy foods, supporting mid-sized family farms, and adopting agroecological practices to mitigate climate change impacts and reduce healthcare costs.

• Current federal farm subsidies prioritize the production of junk food ingredients over fruits and vegetables, contributing to diet-related illnesses like diabetes and hypertension, particularly in communities of color.
• Aligning policies to ensure all Americans consume recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables could result in 127,000 lives saved and an annual reduction of $17 billion in healthcare expenditures.
• Industrial agricultural methods are causing soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and pollution, while simultaneously increasing the sector's contribution to global warming and its vulnerability to climate-related flooding and drought.
• The U.S. food system is characterized by low wages, with a survey of 600 workers indicating that only 13.5 percent earn a livable wage.
• Diet-related health issues impact national security, as approximately 25 percent of young adults are ineligible for military service due to excess body fat, costing the US Department of Defense roughly $1 billion annually in medical care.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Reform Our Farm and Food System. https://www.ucs.org/resources/case-presidential-action-reform-our-farm-and-food-system

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Reform Our Farm and Food System. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/resources/case-presidential-action-reform-our-farm-and-food-system.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Reform Our Farm and Food System |date=7 December 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/case-presidential-action-reform-our-farm-and-food-system |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{unionofconcernedscientists2016reform, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Reform Our Farm and Food System}}, publisher = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = dec, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/case-presidential-action-reform-our-farm-and-food-system}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }