States vs Corporations

The Battle Over Food Standards

Grab your garden trowels and get ready for action! There's a bill creeping through Congress that has me more confused than a rooster with a wristwatch. It's called the EATS Act, and I just spent this week in Washington DC looking lawmakers in the eye and telling them exactly how this bill would create the perfect environment for even more corporate consolidation in our food system.

Here's the deal - the EATS Act (S.2019) would strip away a state's right to determine what agricultural products can be sold within its own borders. It strikes at the core of local decision-making on food safety, environmental protections, and public health. That should concern anyone who values having a say in their community's future.

This week, I went to the Capitol Building in Washington, DC, to speak with lawmakers about opposing the EATS Act and supporting states' rights to set their own food standards.

For example, California and Massachusetts residents voted overwhelmingly (63% and 78% respectively) to require that animals have enough space to turn around and stretch their limbs. The Supreme Court even upheld states' rights to set these standards.

Yet here comes the EATS Act, ready to bulldoze right over those democratic decisions faster than morning dew disappears on a hot summer day.

Here's the brain-twister that has me scratching my head: many politicians who've built careers championing states' rights are suddenly pushing federal intervention to override state decisions on food standards.

A view from our farm, where our herd of pigs root and wallow in the forested areas. Our acres of open space allow them to move, explore, and live vibrant lives, as all animals should.

This isn't about political sides - it's about whether states should have the freedom to set their own food standards. What's fascinating is how states across the political spectrum are uniting around better food quality. West Virginia, a deeply conservative state, just enacted a sweeping ban on artificial food dyes, while over 50 state bills targeting various harmful food chemicals have been introduced this year from legislatures of all political leanings. Food quality is becoming a rare bipartisan bridge in our divided country.

So how can you fight back? It's easier than you think.

• Support your independent small farmers

• Stay informed about the EATS Act and other food legislation – you can count on us sharing updates in our newsletter as these kinds of issues come up.

• Contact your representatives and tell them you believe states should maintain their right to set food standards. Let them know you oppose the EATS Act.

Your voice matters more than you know.

Your farmer,

Cody