Food system critically missing from State of the Union

In his annual address to the country, President Obama touted a growing economy and employment rate, a dwindling dependence on foreign oil, and an America that is far more secure than it was at the turn of the century. One issue of enormous importance that he failed to mention, however, is the state of our country’s food system.

This was a grave omission, because in this realm, America is at a turning point.  I believe the most powerful tool Americans will wield this decade—perhaps this century—is not the pen, the gun, or even the iPhone: It’s the fork. 

{mosads}That’s because riding on our food system is our country’s epidemic of chronic disease. More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. Every 33 seconds, an American dies from heart disease. And one in three children born in the year 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes. All three of these illnesses have been conclusively linked to the meat- and cheese-heavy Standard American Diet.

The health of our environment is also at stake. Agriculture—particularly livestock agriculture—contributes more to climate change than all the cars, trains, planes, buses, and boats in the world combined. The industrialized production of meat, dairy, and other animal products causes pollution, droughts, habitat loss, and deforestation on a massive scale.

Finally, our food system is worth talking about simply because it holds the collective fate of more than 10 billion lives: those of the animals raised for food in the United States. As Americans demonstrated over and over in 2014, these lives matter to them. During the past year, millions of Americans rallied around state-level legislation to end the cruel confinement of animals on factory farms, from gestation crates—the tiny cages mother pigs must endure for most of their lives—to battery cages, the standard housing for egg-laying hens that allots each bird a space the size of an iPad. 

Last year, Americans also pushed several of the meat industry’s biggest players, including Smithfield Foods, Tyson Foods, Cargill, and others, to commit to phasing out some of the most restrictive types of housing for animals on factory farms.

Best of all, Americans are changing their diets. The average American eats 10 percent less meat today compared with a few years ago, and nearly one out of every eight people in the United States is or has been a vegetarian or vegan. Consumption is falling for all major types of meat, and surveys indicate that we likely reached “peak meat” a few years ago. Vegan diets are more popular than ever, even among public officials—Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) won the praise of millions of compassionate citizens last year when he dropped all meat, dairy, and eggs from his diet.

Never has the phrase “vote with your fork” been more powerful. A nationwide survey shows that 94 percent of Americans believe animals raised for food deserve to be free from abuse and cruelty. The trends above show they are acting on this belief as consumers, reducing the amount of meat they eat or forgoing it completely. 

But that doesn’t mean voting in the traditional sense can’t be a positive force for change. And this is the point I’d most like to emphasize: Currently, not a single federal law protects farm animals from abuse on factory farms.

Congress also gives factory farmers a colossal leg-up through the Farm Bill, which allocates huge subsidies for corn and soy, deflating the cost of these feed grains and making meat and dairy production artificially cheap. Additionally, the meat industry benefits from government-run Checkoff programs: national marketing schemes that promote the consumption of fatty animal products like beef and cheese—sending industry profits skyrocketing at the expense of animals, public health, and our environment. Finally, the USDA siphons millions into research aimed at turning animals’ bodies into even more efficient meat machines, an effort with dire consequences for the test subjects and for the millions of animals bred with faulty genes.

The government is meant to reflect the will of the people and the most pressing issues of our time. When it comes to protecting our country’s animals, public health, and the environment, it’s clear that is not yet happening. But with the right pressure from engaged citizens and a push from thoughtful leaders, Congress and the Executive Branch could usher America forward into a more compassionate, healthful, and sustainable century. 

Runkle is the founder and president of Mercy For Animals, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing cruelty to farmed animals and promoting compassionate food choices and policies.