USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins announced that new initiatives aimed at bolstering food security in the United States will be introduced in the coming weeks, following the arrest of Chinese nationals suspected of trying to smuggle harmful fungi into the country.
Rollins emphasized to the Daily Caller News Foundation that “If this country doesn’t have food security, there’s no national security.” He stated that the recent investigations and arrests are merely “the first steps” in addressing the issue.
The initiative will encompass “every part of the farming community, all wholesale of USDA,” according to Rollins.
On June 3, the Justice Department revealed that two Chinese citizens, Yunqing Jiang and Zunyong Liu, had attempted to bring in Fusarium graminearum fungus, known to potentially destroy staple crops like wheat, barley, corn, and rice. This particular fungus has already caused significant damage in the past, leading to losses of around $1 billion in US agriculture in 1996. The DOJ also highlighted the health risks associated with this fungus, as it can harm both humans and livestock.
A third criminal complaint against Chinese scientists for smuggling biological materials into the US was also announced on Monday.
In related remarks, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed his continued support for ceasing potentially dangerous gain-of-function studies in laboratories, which involve manipulating viruses and pathogens. He pointed out that there are notable concerns regarding studies on viruses like H5N1, which target poultry.
Kennedy firmly asserted, “We’ve finished all the gain of function research. It should never have been done, and it will never happen again.”
Rollins previously pledged to end the collaboration between the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the USDA’s Southeast Poultry Research Institute in Athens, Georgia.
While gain-of-function research currently faces a national moratorium, plans for a more permanent ban are anticipated to be detailed by the White House and the National Institutes of Health in September.
Ending Junk Food Funding
Rollins and Kennedy made these statements at an event where Rollins celebrated signing exemptions from three states aimed at limiting the purchase of junk food with food stamps.
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Indiana Governor Mike Brown were also in attendance, and the new measures increase the total number of states allowing food stamp funds to be used for junk food to six. States like Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Ohio, Florida, and Louisiana were mentioned as part of this initiative.
Rollins indicated that her first action was to engage with the Make America Healthy Again initiatives by reaching out to all 50 governors.
Kennedy remarked that allowing food stamp purchases of sugary drinks is a logical approach, despite opposition from beverage industry lobbying. He recounted a conversation with Rollins, who said, “We pay for nutrition, and there is no nutrition in your products.”
The federal food stamp program, costing $119 billion, aims to provide nutritional support to low-income Americans. However, it’s reported that about 23% of this spending, around $27 billion, subsidizes junk food.
Sanders noted, “If you said a year ago that the exemption would be signed soon, I don’t think most people would believe you.”
A 2014 survey suggested that a nationwide ban on SNAP subsidies for sugary beverages could help combat obesity, which affects a significant number of adults and children in the US. The research was led by Jay Bhattacharya, then an associate professor of health policy at Stanford University and current director at the National Institutes of Health.
