Are we making America healthy again? Let’s see if they are serious

It is true that our food system is broken. I’ve been saying that for decades. As an organic farmer, I have long been passionate about building healthier, more resilient and local pathways to feed our families. I bring these ideals with me to Congress, where many of us have long resisted “big agriculture” and the decline of the family farm, as well as working to improve our food system.

I have introduced bills to support local and regional agriculture and obtained federal funding for “food is medicine” initiatives that directly link our health outcomes to what and how we eat. I am serious about making real and lasting change.

That’s why I hope the Trump administration’s promise to “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) is more than just another empty campaign promise. Americans struggle to afford enough healthy food, and they’re deeply concerned about what’s actually in their food — everything from dyes and pesticides to pollutants like PFAS and microplastics.

Fortunately, they don’t need to look far for inspiration. I have worked with my colleagues in Congress—from both parties—on a wide range of proposals that have already laid the foundation for what a healthy America actually looks like.

Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that nearly one-third of American children did not eat fruit daily, and nearly half did not eat vegetables daily. And our food system — from the way we incentivize farmers, to our underfunded food assistance programs — reinforces these troubling habits.

The United States subsidizes certain crops — commodities like corn and soybeans — more than others, such as fruits and vegetables. According to some estimates, only 6 percent of farmland in the United States is used to grow crops for human consumption, while more than 70 percent is used to feed livestock. If we make growing produce more profitable, we will be able to better support small and medium-sized farms, help fight corporate consolidation in agriculture, and expand access to nutritious foods that many Americans struggle to find and afford.

Overuse of pesticides degrades soil health and impacts human health, not to mention water runoff into our waterways, which also harms our environment. There’s still a lot to learn about how soil health and human health are linked (I’ve received funding for extensive new research). There is one way we know we can reduce pesticide use: supporting organic farming – whether through research or increased production.

There is a growing consensus that access to food and nutrition is essential to maintaining good health. Poor diets are a major contributor to the development of chronic diseases such as heart disease and obesity, which leads to enormous health care spending in the United States and can severely impact quality of life.

We should invest in programs that design access to healthy groceries for families and children and meals for at-risk patients. I have led efforts to establish formulary programs—which allow medical providers to connect at-risk patients with subsidized fruits and vegetables—at agencies such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Indian Health Service, and I strongly support including more coverage of medically designed meals under Medicare. These options help keep people home and out of the hospital, where increased accessibility can lead to significant cost savings.

But with 47.4 million Americans struggling to put food on the table in 2023, nutrition programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) are most important. Did you know that adults participating in SNAP incur approximately 25 percent more medical care costs annually than low-income nonparticipants? But Republicans repeatedly try to cut benefits or make these programs more difficult to access. Last year, they proposed a $30 billion cut to SNAP in the farm bill. Now they are proposing the same cuts and more as a priority for the 119th Congress.

There is a lot of talk about banning or restricting ultra-processed foods and dyes. I say: “Finally!”

Corporate-funded “nutrition” research dominates the media, creating confusion for consumers. Strengthening federal investment in high-quality, independent research is essential to ensure Americans have the accurate and reliable information they need to make informed decisions about their diet and well-being. Did you know that Republicans in Congress blocked appropriations for the Office of Nutrition at the National Institutes of Health? We need our best scientists to focus on big questions like the health effects of ultra-processed foods and additives, and we can’t do that without funding.

We know what it takes to make America healthy. What it really comes down to is political will.

If President-elect Trump and his administration are serious about improving America’s health, we have a real opportunity to make transformative changes — and remind the American people of what is possible when Republicans and Democrats work together in a truly bipartisan way.

But if all the talk about standing up to big business and getting serious about chronic disease turns out to be just a bunch of bluster and threats, the only health policies the administration is trying to promote are cuts to Medicaid and making it more difficult for American families to afford food. The schedule, unfortunately, would be a missed opportunity.

Chellie Pingree represents Maine’s 1st District.