Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg (by Food Tank) 515. Helena Bottemiller Evich And Marion Nestle On Policy Priorities For Sustainable Food Systems And MAHA Wellness Trends
Sep 25, 2025
Helena Bottemiller Evich, a food policy reporter and founder of the Food Fix newsletter, teams up with Marion Nestle, a food policy scholar and author, to dive into sustainable food systems. They discuss MAHA's mixed impact on dietary guidelines and the need for stronger regulation versus wellness PR. The duo explores the gaps in pesticide policy, the prospects of a bipartisan Farm Bill, and the shifting landscape of consumer behavior driven by wellness trends. Nestle advocates for impactful actions like marketing restrictions to improve child health.
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MAHA Shifted The Political Landscape
- Helena Bottemiller Evich says MAHA tapped real grassroots energy and shifted food reform out of left-only politics.
- She warns the current moment in Washington is chaotic and institutions face widespread mistrust.
Rhetoric Versus Policy On Pesticides
- Helena highlights a gap between MAHA rhetoric and its policy actions, especially on pesticides.
- She notes the MAHA strategy emphasized reassuring the public rather than cracking down on pesticide use.
Ag CEO Tried To Shape Public Narrative
- Dani Nierenberg recounts a private dinner where an agrochemical CEO urged better public messaging about atrazine and glyphosate.
- She describes the CEO as worried and pushing to "tell the real story" about these chemicals.
