Image: Getty Images from Unsplash+
Image: Getty Images from Unsplash+
Pesticide residue does not check voter registration. Neither does a child’s asthma, allergies or cancer diagnosis.
Republished with permission from Robyn O’Brien
Millions of mothers did something unusual in the last election. They crossed party lines over a kitchen-table question: what is in our children’s food? The Make America Healthy Again movement gave that question a national stage in the Republican Party.
But on the issues that brought many of these voters to MAHA, food safety, chemical applications and more, the record has moved in the wrong direction.
For years, parents have asked for fewer pesticide residues on the food they buy for their families. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. campaigned on exactly that, warning about ‘toxic chemicals like glyphosate.’ Months later, he told senators, ‘We are not going to do anything to jeopardize that business model. And a presidential executive order said glyphosate producers should have “immunity” under the Defense Production Act.
Glyphosate is the active ingredient in Roundup, the most widely used weed killer in the country.
Think about what immunity means. It does not make a product safer. It moves the risk. If something goes wrong, the company is protected, and the family and farmer are not. Anyone who has ever managed money knows that when someone asks to be shielded from liability, you should ask why.
This is not a left or right issue. The mothers worried about pesticides include rural conservatives, suburban independents and city progressives. Many of them voted for MAHA’s promises. Many others never would.
They share a simple test: does this policy keep my child safe, or not?
Farmers are not the villains here. Most rely on these chemicals because the system pays them to. Crop subsidies, insurance rules and commodity prices all reward the cheapest, highest-yield approach. Asking farmers to change without changing those incentives is asking them to go broke. The fix is to make the safer path the affordable one.
That is a policy choice, and it is on the ballot. Not in the form of a party label, but in the votes that members of Congress and state legislators will cast on farm bills, chemical oversight and liability rules.
People keep asking me what I expect from the Democrats. The truth is not a lot. This has been a longstanding issue on both sides of the aisle.
Follow the money and you will see the problem. MAHA PAC, the movement’s biggest political committee, has pledged $100 million to elect Republicans endorsed by the President.
But pesticide residue does not check voter registration. Neither does a child’s asthma, allergies or cancer diagnosis.
Safe food isn’t partisan, and the people who want our votes should not be able to treat it that way.
So here is what I am asking every woman reading this to do before November 3. Ask every candidate in your district, from every party, the same questions.
Ask at town halls. Email the campaigns. Ask who is funding them, too, including MAHA-affiliated PACs and chemical and food companies. Post their answers, or their silence, where your friends will see it. Then vote with that information in hand.
And keep asking after the election. Much of what reaches our tables is decided in statehouses, not just in Washington. The questions work just as well there.
At home, we can still read labels, cut back on heavily processed foods, wash produce well and buy organic for the most heavily sprayed crops when the budget allows. Those steps help. But no family can shop its way out of a policy problem.
Healthy food should not be a partisan cause. It should be the floor we all stand on.
Let’s hold everyone who wants our vote to that standard.
Candidate: ______________________ Office / District: ______________________ Party: __________
Date sent: __________ Response deadline: __________
Funding disclosure (to be completed by every candidate)
Ask for the same disclosure from every candidate, whatever their party or position on MAHA. Check answers against public filings at FEC.gov for federal races and your state’s campaign finance site for state races.
Where to check the money
Use the same lookups for every candidate, so MAHA PAC spending and industry PAC spending get the same scrutiny.
Note: MAHA PAC has said its money goes to electing Republicans. Its spending follows party and the President’s endorsements, not a candidate’s record on food safety.
That is why this questionnaire asks every candidate the same questions. Safe food isn’t partisan.
How to use it
- Find every candidate for your congressional seat and state legislative seats on your county elections website.
- Email the questionnaire to each campaign with a deadline at least a week before November 3.
- Ask the same questions in person at town halls and forums, and note the answers.
- Publish results in one table, with identical wording for every candidate. List anyone who didn’t respond.
- Resend the questions to whoever wins, and track how they vote.
- And please share this link and questionnaire with others who care about these issues.
Robyn O’Brien began her career as a financial analyst covering the food industry and later became one of the earliest voices identifying systemic risks and investment opportunities driven by shifts in consumer demand, health, and environmental pressures. She is a Fulbright fellow, adjunct professor at Rice University and the author of the award-winning book, The Unhealthy Truth, How Our Food is Making Us Sick and What We Can Do About It, published by Random House in 2009.
She operates at the intersection of courage, innovation and what comes next.
Help Support Factkeepers!
{"id":null,"mode":"form","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":500,"top_media_type":"none","featured_image_url":false,"featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"Factkeepers.com","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"Help Support Factkeepers","form_subtitle":null,"currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for being a supporter!","payment_confirmation_title":"Factkeepers.com","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like.","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to donate? You can change this amount to anything you would like."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to donate this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to donate this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to donate this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
{"date_format":"F j, Y","time_format":"g:i a","wordpress_permalink_only":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/why-safe-food-isnt-partisan-issue-plus-a-maha-questionnaire-for-every-candidate\/","all_default_visual_states":"inherit","modal_visual_state":false,"user_is_logged_in":false,"stripe_api_key":"pk_live_40P3DgGDAHEP1QtJ0nOU4amBVl87GQiP6LNtpXpIgM209dTEvnpwJQY64VMqftnFoCJJVlDxkJGLVxPoMxsAn42G100bfKk03i7","stripe_account_country_code":"US","setup_link":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-admin\/admin.php?page=tip-jar-wp&mpwpadmin1=welcome&mpwpadmin_lightbox=do_wizard_health_check","close_button_url":"https:\/\/factkeepers.com\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/closebtn.png"}
