“Why don’t candidates talk about food?”
That’s a question asked by the Des Moines Register‘s editorial board this weekend, who also pointed out that the “first-in-the nation caucuses are held in one of the world’s great agricultural centers.”
It should be a major issue for presidential candidates, the Register says, because
What we eat and how it’s produced are not jokes. These questions involve many of the nation’s major issues — including health care costs and quality, the federal debt, pollution, jobs and immigration — and they require leadership on the presidential level.
The editorial also points to research showing that Americans want to change the food system, have broad support for government incentives to encourage sustainable farming practices, and express strong concern that one-third of children today will develop type-2 diabetes. The editorial also notes the “wave of consolidation is sweeping through agriculture” that “will have ramifications throughout the food chain,” such as the proposed Dow/DuPoint merger.