Welcome to the Food Policy Debrief, where we shed much-needed light on how corporations and organizations can engage with progressive food policy. Join us once a month as we provide news updates, demystify policy, and provide opportunities for advocacy!

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TL;DR

Chick-fil-A joins the U.S. Food Waste Pact; Congress takes on junk food

Chobani and Once Upon a Farm join WIC convos

Breaking down the appropriations process (what it is & why it matters)

WIC food package update

This Month’s Standout Food Stories

Social Impact Spotlight

Shedding light on companies leading by example and engaging in food policy in a meaningful way

**Chobani, Once Upon a Farm CEOs use their platforms to campaign for WIC funding**

Earlier this month, the founder and CEO of Chobani, Hamdi Ulukaya, took to Instagram with actress and co-founder of Once Upon A Farm, Jennifer Garner, to thank advocates and Representatives for fully funding WIC this year. This effort ties into Once Upon A Time’s longtime advocacy supporting WIC, including making their products WIC-authorized.

We loved seeing these two powerful advocates use their voices and platforms to highlight WIC, showcasing how corporations can responsibly engage in food policy. We will be keeping an eye out for more advocacy from both organizations this year!

Policy 101: Appropriations

Breaking down the appropriations process: What is it, why it matters, and how companies/organizations can (and should) engage with it

The Appropriations process is historically one of the most important opportunities for advocates and citizens to voice their priorities and concerns to Congress—although most people don’t know it exists or how it works. Let’s break it down:

Article I of the U.S. Constitution states that Congress has the power of the purse, or the jurisdiction and authority over how the U.S. Treasury spends our country’s funds. So at the start of every fiscal year, the Budget and Appropriations process kicks off when the current President provides a proposed budget that outlines their priorities and ideas for spending over the next fiscal year, and often beyond. However, as the saying goes, “the President proposes, and Congress disposes,” a humorous way of pointing out that the Congressional Budget Committees also introduce their own ideas around spending priorities for the next Fiscal Year, often, but not always, resulting in a budget resolution, a guiding document that outlines Congress’s spending priorities for the next 5-10 fiscal years and providing a guide to Appropriators.

Budget resolutions outline spending not just for one fiscal year, but often 5-10 fiscal years, and provide a roadmap for the Appropriations process; however, Congress can begin the Appropriations process without a budget resolution. Budget reconciliation between the Senate and the House have also been used to pass landmark pieces of legislation, such as the Affordable Care Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Fine Print

The first step in the Appropriations process, according to the Congressional Budget Act, is the development of the 302(a) allocation, which outlines how much money, outside of mandatory spending (such as Social Security and interest payments on the Federal debt), is available to Appropriators. Once the full Appropriations committee receives their 302(a) allocation, this 302(a) allocation is divided into twelve, separate and unequally-sized, 302(b) allocations. These twelve 302(b) allocations are then sent to the twelve Appropriations subcommittees (all of which have their own respective staff) in each chamber of Congress, and then the fun begins.

Make Your Voice Heard

Ok, stick with us here. This is where you come in. While 302(a) and (b) allocations are being set, Members of Congress also solicit recommendations for Community Project Funding (CPF), which are colloquially called earmarks. These requests for funding can come from local/state governments, community organizations, advocacy groups, or even individuals. Each Member has their own guidelines and deadlines for submitting requests, but these are a key opportunity for members to provide direct Federal funding for key priorities for their constituents. In other words, you can submit a request to your member of Congress for funding for community projects.

One food & nutrition-related example from FY 24 is from Delaware, where Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester was able to secure $84,548 in funding for the Food Bank of Delaware to expand their community agriculture facility in Milford, DE. Or, another example, with cooperation in both Houses of Congress, is from Washington, where Rep. Schrier and Senator Cantwell worked together to provide funding for the expansion of the Darrington Food Bank. All that’s to say, your voice matters!

The Nitty Gritty

During the summer months, typically no earlier than May 15th, the twelve Subcommittees begin the markup process. This process is usually where a draft Appropriations bill for each subcommittee, usually developed by the Chair and their staff of each Subcommittee, along with Appropriations committee staff, begin the process of negotiating what’s in and what’s out and any adjustments to funding amounts needed. This also provides Members of each subcommittee to present CFPs that are relevant to their constituents and other Members of Congress who are not Appropriators.

Appropriations bills can also include something called a policy rider, which is essentially a term and condition on the Administration spending Appropriated funds. Let’s say the Presidential Administration has spent previously appropriated funds in a manner that the Appropriators disagreed with, or on a project that was technically allowed but not in the spirit of what the Appropriators hoped they would do. A policy rider can be used to correct this or realign the spending in the current fiscal year, but they are also sometimes used as political messaging tools or avenues to adjust policy when other pieces of legislation are stalled.

Once all 12 Subcommittees have marked up their bills, these go to the full Appropriations committees, then the floor of their respective chambers, and are conferenced out to resolve any disagreements between the chambers before final votes. In an ideal scenario, all 12 bills are passed before October 1st, when the Federal fiscal year begins. When this does not happen, Congress might opt to pass one or more Continuing Resolutions (CRs), which essentially change the dates on the previous Appropriations bill(s), to carry through to another designated point in time.

So what’s the best way to advocate for the issues important to you during Appropriations season? Here’s a few tips:

Know your numbers and their impact:

Before you start advocating for funding, it’s essential to have a clear description of what exactly you’re requesting funding for, as well as how it will directly affect your Member’s constituents. So, for example, if you are proposing a new warehouse or facility to improve access to healthy food, try to find some talking points about the number of people who might be served with the funding, food insecurity rates and how they might be reduced, or potential savings to programs like Medicaid or Medicare because people have access to better nutrition. Sometimes, you might not be able to find perfect data, but as long as you are using reliable, relevant sources and have a compelling narrative, data will help your case. If you advocate to an Appropriator for a program that none of their constituents currently benefit from, they might not be interested, but conversely, they might be interested in increased funding if it could help improve access for their constituents. Also, be aware that budget impacts might not be as relevant to Appropriators unless they occur in that fiscal year or directly impact their constituents.

Know where your issue fits in the Appropriations process and who the relevant players are:

The key to effective Appropriations advocacy is being strategic. If you’re working on an issue related to USDA programs, focus on meeting with and submitting CFP applications to members of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittees in both chambers of Congress first. Make sure your asks are relevant to those members and their constituents, and make sure you get as much buy-in from members of subcommittees as possible before moving on to advocacy with the full Appropriations committees.

Create relationships with Members of Congress, but also their staff:

Today’s intern or staff assistant is tomorrow’s legislative director or chief of staff. You will probably not get a meeting with the Member of Congress themselves, but still be prepared to make your case and cultivate relationships with members of their staff. Also reach out directly to Subcommittee and Committee staff. Be respectful and concise in meetings, as often staff members have 10-20 meetings per day, if not more. An effective, concise, leave-behind document (typically 1-2 pages) can be a good reference point for staff later when making recommendations (here’s one example from Meals on Wheels America, their annual fact sheet, or this leave-behind from the recent Tufts Food Is Medicine Advocacy Day). Staff keep the ship running, and if you win them over (and make their job easier), they will be your best advocates.

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again:

Many of these relationships take time and trust to build on, and you might need several attempts to successfully advocate for Appropriations at the Federal level. Sometimes, as we can see in the news, the Appropriations process is thrown into chaos over other political issues that might not have anything to do with your issue. The more you get to know staff and Members, and the more you hone your tactics over time, the better off your advocacy will be in the long-run.

Key Dates Coming Up:

Senate Appropriations Request Guidance

Deadline for Agriculture requests; May 8th, 2024
Deadline for Labor-HHS requests: May 14th, 2024

House Appropriations Request Guidance

If you want to go even further into learning about the Appropriations process, check out this Congressional Research Service overview from May 2023, and of course, if you have any specific questions about Appropriations advocacy, feel free to email me at wthomas@conduitgr.com.

Implementation Updates

WIC Food Package Update

Last month, USDA announced the release of the final rule providing adjustments to the food package for WIC. Nearly 7 million Americans—primarily mothers, infants, and children under the age of 5—participate in WIC. It provides vital, supplemental nutrition to these populations when nutrition is most critical to development. Some advocates even call WIC “the Mother of all Food Is Medicine programs.” The WIC food package is revisited at least once a decade to reflect the latest in nutrition science, public health concerns, and cultural appropriateness. According to USDA, this year’s changes achieve the following objectives:

More choices to ensure participants have access to essential nutrients that support healthy growth and development.
More balance to address key nutritional needs and support healthy dietary patterns.
More flexibility and variety to accommodate personal and cultural food preferences and special dietary needs.
More support for individual breastfeeding goals to help establish and sustain long-term breastfeeding.

The food package adjustments are a deeply collaborative process between many stakeholders, including scientists, practitioners, and even the private sector.