On May 16th, Representatives Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Dan Newhouse (R-WA), and Jimmy Panneta (D-CA) introduced a bill to increase federal funding for organic research. Congressman Panneta represents the Monterey Bay area. The Organic Agriculture Research Act will raise funding for USDA’s Organic Research Extension Initiative (OREI) from $20 million to $50 million annually. As the organic industry grows…

Earlier this month, the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future released a major new report, “Public Health, Immigration Reform and Food System Change.” It details the challenges faced by agricultural and meat processing workers in the United States, approximately 80% of whom are immigrants. Despite the US food industry’s heavy reliance on immigrants, these workers and their families…

In a recent article from Quartz, Chase Purdy details three important shifts in food policy across the country and how they are being led by citizen movements. Soda taxes, GMO labeling, and cage-free eggs have all won legislative victories on the heels of tremendous citizen engagement. Here in Berkeley, research continues on the effects of soda taxes…

President-elect Trump has nominated Sonny Perdue, former governor of Georgia, to be the next Secretary of Agriculture. This was the final Cabinet nomination, announced only two days before the Presidential transfer of power. As noted by Ag Insider, Perdue’s first cousin, Senator David Perdue, sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee, which will hold confirmation hearings on the…

As the administration of our 44th President comes to a close, each Federal agency was asked to write a memo detailing the state of their jurisdiction and projects. Of particular interest to those of us in food and agriculture was the USDA memo, written by Secretary Tom Vilsack. The memo details achievements made by the administration…

CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) assembled a list of “13 Things You Can Do to Keep Up the Good Food Fight in 2017,” with the help of Nina F. Ichikawa, Policy Director of the Berkeley Food Institute; Navina Khanna, Director of HEAL Food Alliance; Michael Dimock, President of Roots of Change; and Anna Lappé, author and founder of Real…