O P I N I O N
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
By Carolyn Choate
Traditionally, food insecurity is when people don’t have enough food to meet basic daily dietary requirements. According to the nonprofit Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), established in 1970 to end poverty-related hunger, over 47 million Americans – many of them children, elderly, and veterans – experienced a “lack of access to an affordable, nutritious diet” in 2023.
In 2025, the FRAC community – staff, board, and partners – was galvanized by the Trump administration’s $186 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The effects will likely boomerang in negative ways in the year(s) ahead: increased health costs due to poor dietary health; decreased academic performance in our public schools; increased crime including domestic violence, child abuse, and vandalism.
“Research shows strong links between higher food insecurity and increased rates of assault, gun violence, and other crimes, creating a cycle where poverty, hunger, and crime reinforce each other,” Exploring the Interconnectedness of Crime and Nutrition: Current Evidence and Recommendations to Advance Nutrition Equity Research, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Oct. 2024.
Fortunately, FRAC successfully lobbied Congress to defeat cuts to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) and, through similar pressure, Healthy School Meals for All, serving free breakfast and lunch to our most vulnerable victims of food insecurity, avoiding proposals to defund the program thanks in large part to the numerous states that adopted the program. (New Hampshire is not among them.)
But countless people – myself included – suffer from an equally insidious form of food insecurity. A lack of confidence in our regulatory and oversight policies regarding the food supply that often leads to anxiety and apprehension.
Notwithstanding Health & Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to Make America Healthy Again, the Trump administration has repealed, axed, and/or supported many measures that undermine America’s dietary health.
Recently, the EPA approved two PFAS-based pesticides for use on golf courses, lawns, and a long list of industrial crops: lettuce, broccoli, potatoes, oranges, peas, oats, soybeans, and cabbage, with three similar pesticides to be approved in 2026 according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
“To approve more PFAS pesticides amid the growing awareness of the serious, long-term dangers from these forever chemicals is absurdly shortsighted,” said Nathan Donley, environmental health science director at the Center for Biological Diversity. “The undeniable reality is that the Trump Administration is knowingly putting the nation’s children at greater risk of developing serious reproductive and liver harms for generations to come.”
Children, adults, and the environment.
Per previous Food for Thought columns, negative health effects of PFAS exposure are well-documented. In 2025, over 7,000 research studies were published globally with low birth weight and stunted neurodevelopment in children; increased risk of kidney, testicular, and thyroid cancer; female reproductive impairment including fertility and hypertension; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; and immune system dysfunction the most common among them.
Studies on PFAS-related epigenetic change really caught my attention. PFAS exposure can change your DNA, the bedrock of immunity. Research shows, “PFAS may simultaneously lead to a decline in immune defense function and an increased risk of chronic inflammation, highlighting the necessity of in-depth exploration of its mechanism.” (Potential effects of PFAS exposure on trained immunity: From mechanisms to health risks, Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, September 2025.)
I’ll say it one million times if I must: Inflammation is the foundation of disease: cancer, diabetes, coronary artery disease, and arthritis.
The big picture? Our planet and all its inhabitants – flora and fauna – suffer irreversible damage from PFAS exposure. They’re called forever chemicals for a reason.
It isn’t just about PFAS pesticides. It’s the 12,000 plus PFAS chemicals we’re drinking daily from our public and private water supplies; from food contaminated by toxic kitchenware and packaging; daily inhalation/absorption of PFAS through cleaning supplies, cosmetics, and synthetic textiles we surround ourselves with. Much with little to no government oversight or the remediation one would associate with making Americans – thus America – truly great.
In other food insecurity news from 2025:
- The FDA revoked/revoking 52 food standards. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said, “[Many] of these standards have outlived their usefulness and may even stifle innovations in making food easier to produce or providing consumers healthier choices.” Thirteen revocations affect cheese. Advocacy groups like Covington and FoodDive, say it raises concerns about ingredient safety, labelling, and production practices. Cheddar, Colby, and Monterrey Jack may become indistinguishable. Or, in the case of fruit-related products like jam, manufacturers can increase the sugar to fruit ratio without legal ramifications. IMO, the beneficiary of such changes is business not consumer safety.
- Elimination of Food Safety Panels. By executive order, Trump halted the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection and the Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. In an online report by AOL, Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports said, “The failure to recognize and leverage the value of this scientific expertise is dangerous and irresponsible.” Center for Disease Control data shows 48 million Americans get sick from foodborne illnesses annually with meat and poultry contributing to 29% deaths. How many become ill or die in 2026 remains to be seen.
- HHS Secretary Directs FDA to “Close Generally Recognized as Safe” Rule. In March, Secretary RFK Jr. announced plans to explore revising the policy allowing food manufacturers to self-determine the safety of food additives. “Far too long, ingredient manufacturers and sponsors have exploited a loophole that has allowed new ingredients and chemicals, often with unknown safety data, to be introduced to the FDA or the public.” But Scott Faber, Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) senior vice president for government affairs countered that, “Until the FDA takes real action to put itself in charge of food chemical safety, this announcement is best seen as a ‘plan to plan,’ not real progress toward ensuring our food is safe.”
- HHs Secretary Announces Plan to Phase Out Eight Artificial Food Dyes. When asked by the media how the changes would be enforced, Secretary RFK Jr. stated that the plan was contingent on voluntary cooperation by manufacturers.
To my fellow food insecurity sufferers – and for those willing and wanting to make real change for themselves, loved ones, and planet earth – keep advocating with your voice, wallet, and vote. Elected local, state, and Congressional representatives are an email away. Does your representative support legislation that improves health or improves big business’ bottom line? Consumer choices affect your health and influence business decisions so pay attention to what you’re being fed by the industrial farm complex and advertising. When it comes to our food supply – and how it has been commandeered by special interests – my food insecurity coping mechanism is to live by the mantra, guilty until proven innocent.
Carolyn R. Choate, a lifelong foodie, has discovered a deeper relationship between health and diet. She is certified in whole food, plant-based nutrition from Cornell’s T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies. You can reach her at crchoate13@gmail.com.
Disclaimer: The writer’s experiences and observations are intended for informational purposes only and are not intended to provide medical advice about the avoidance, diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. Medical advice should be sought from a qualified healthcare professional.