Diet-related health conditions cost the United States $250 billion annually, self-reported weight in the U.S. is now 20 pounds higher than it was in 1990 and half of all Americans are expected to have diabetes or pre-diabetes by 2020. Food is clearly a problem in the U.S., and a costly problem at that. That’s why Congressman Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) wrote “The Real Food Revolution,” where he outlines what he believes is wrong with our food system and how we can correct it.
“When you think about how we’re going to fund Medicare and Medicaid and how private businesses will be able to fund healthcare if half the country has diabetes, it becomes unsustainable,” says Rep. Ryan. “It’s something we need to address if we want a vibrant workforce.”
Three-quarters of all processed food in the U.S. has added sugar to it, and American children see around 13 ads for sugary foods each day.
If the obesity epidemic continues at its current rate, American children could be the first generation of people to live a shorter lifespan than their predecessors. “I don’t think that’s a legacy we want to leave,” says Rep. Ryan.
But how does a country change its eating habits on a fundamental level?
Rep. Ryan believes the way to retool the system is by funding and supporting urban agriculture, subsidizing farmers who produce fruits and vegetables and creating markets for local growers. Ryan also believes that schools need to make changes.
“There should be a garden in every schoolyard, a kitchen in every school and a salad bar in every cafeteria so we can begin to teach our young people how to eat,” he says.
Of course, changing the agricultural industry isn’t easy. Agribusiness lobbyists have spent over $63 million so far this year and have contributed quite a bit to the campaigns of house members, including $694,007 to Ohio representative John Boehner. Going against big agriculture seems a bit like David going up against Goliath.
“A lot of people want to throw farmers under the bus on this,” says Ryan. “But farmers are doing what their incentives are, to grow the big row crops like wheat, corn and soy. They have mortgages, they have big investments and kids in college. They’re business people. We have to reduce the risk for farmers.” Ryan wants to create a market with public institutions purchasing fruit and vegetables from local farms; he also wants to help aid farms that switch from row crops to less profitable but healthier crops.
“Shifting farm subsidies,” towards supporting healthier crops “will reduce expenditures,” says Ryan. “It will bring down costs for Medicare and Medicaid.”
Ryan disagrees with those who might say that with the threats of ISIS, Ebola and more this isn’t a good time to talk about food.
“The most important thing in the U.S. is a vibrant economy because we need to fund all of these military operations that we have going on,” says Ryan. “We need to fund the Center for Diseases Control, we need to do research on Ebola at the National Institutes of Health and you better have revenue coming into the coffers.” He believes we’re wasting a large amount of money for diet-related diseases which is costing the government not only money but also productivity.
“If we want to be a strong country then we’ve got to have strong people,” he says.