Giant corporations, along with the industry associations that represent and align with them, dominate the US food and agriculture system. Together, they have hijacked federal farm policy for their profit.
Analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists shows that between 2019 and 2023, giant agribusiness companies and industry associations spent well over half a billion dollars lobbying Congress to influence legislation that includes the next food and farm bill.
A pay-to-play food policy that prioritizes corporate profits is bad for the well-being of people and the environment. Lawmakers should center the needs of small and midsize farms, diverse farmers, food workers and farmworkers, consumers, and communities—not just the needs of giant corporations—when writing this legislation.
Citation
Goswami, Omanjana, and Karen Perry Stillerman. 2024. Cultivating Control: Corporate Lobbying on the Food and Farm Bill. Cambridge, MA: Union of Concerned Scientists. https://doi.org/10.47923/2024.15464