"Will Our Food be Safe Under Trump?"

"On the campaign trail, Donald Trump railed against what he called the 'FDA food police' and 'inspection overkill.' He has said he’d dramatically overhaul and limit federal government regulations. Now, big questions have arisen about how far he’ll go to scale back the incremental work done in recent years to keep pesticides, GMOs, and additives out of the food supply.

Cabinet posts have not yet been announced, but Michael Torrey* is reportedly leading the Trump transition on agriculture. Torrey is an agricultural chemical industry and food manufacturing lobbyist whose firm has worked on behalf of many large food and beverage trade associations and companies that range from the American Beverage Association, to the Illinois Soybean Association, Dean Foods, and Little Caesars Pizza.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) transition is reportedly being led by climate change denier Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), which is known for its anti-regulatory and anti-environmental protection positions. CEI maintains a website devoted to downplaying the health hazards of a range of chemicals including pesticides."

Elizabeth Grossman reports for Civil Eats November 17, 2016.