BAMCO CEO Joins Food Movement Leaders in Demanding Healthy Food and Farm Bill

Written by Bonnie Azab Powell on June 5, 2012in Featured, Fedele Bauccio, Food justice, News, Policy - 2 Comments

2012 Farm Bill "wurdle" by Democracy in Action

Bon Appétit Management Company CEO Fedele Bauccio is proud to be among the 70  leading chefs, authors, food policy experts, nutritionists, CEOs, and environment and health organizations that have today sent an open letter to Congress urging lawmakers to revise the draft of the 2012 Farm Bill — which should more properly be called the Food Bill, as it is the largest and most significant piece of legislation affecting what, how, and even whether Americans eat.

Led by Kari Hamerschlag of the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and authors Anna Lappé and Dan Imhoff, the letter’s signatories include prominent authors Michael Pollan, Marion Nestle, Eric Schlosser, Laurie David, and Wendell Berry; chefs and restauranteurs Mario Batali, Tom Colicchio, and Alice Waters; Food Inc. film director Robert Kenner; and many others. The letter asks Congress to reinvest federal farm and crop insurance subsidy dollars into programs that feed the hungry, protect the environment, and promote the consumption of local, organic and healthy food.

The Senate bill is set to go to the floor in the coming week. Yesterday, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) announced she would propose an amendment to cut subsidies that go to private crop insurance companies and use the savings to restore funding for SNAP (the food stamp and other food assistance program) and increase the fruit and vegetable snack program by more than 30% a year.

The complete letter follows after the jump; if you too would like to sign it and tell Congress you support Gillibrand’s amendment, you can do so via EWG’s action alert — or to be even more effective, call your senator (ask for their agriculture staffperson) and let them know you care about making the Farm Bill a healthy Food Bill.

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