You are here

Home >

Food

News Release | TexPIRG Education Fund | Food

TexPIRG Applauds College Station for Protecting Pollinators

Last month, city officials responded to TexPIRG’s request for information about the use of a class of pesticide called, “neonicotinoids”. In doing so, they found to their surprise that one of their contractors had been using the class of substance despite it being against city ordinance.

Upon learning of this information, the city promptly instructed the contractor to cease their applications of the pesticide, making College Station a bee-friendly city once again.

“Sometimes all it takes is for someone to ask,” said Bay Scoggin, TexPIRG State Director. “College Station has the right policy, they just needed to enforce it. We are very happy with them for their actions today. Hopefully, this will help stir up some buzz with the other cities that seem to be bumbling this opportunity”

EPA’s Pruitt Met with Dow Prior to Favorable Ruling

Thursday, June 29, 2017
By Dev GowdaKara Cook-Schultz

On March 31st, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced that his agency would deny a petition to ban the dangerous pesticide chlorpyrifos from being sprayed on food. He announced this decision despite EPA scientists’ earlier findings that concluded that chlorpyrifos, which is manufactured by Dow Chemical, can harm brain development of fetuses and infants after ingesting even small amounts. The news that the EPA would continue to allow the spraying of chlorpyrifos alarmed doctors and other public health officials, but what’s even more interesting is that according to several recent Freedom of Information Act requests, Pruitt met with Dow CEO Andrew Liveris at a Houston hotel just twenty days prior to making his controversial decision.

Shrinking the Dead Zone, Reducing Fertilizer Use

Friday, June 23, 2017
By | Bill Wenzel
Director, Healthy Farms, Healthy Families Campaign

Last week, scientists predicted that this year’s hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico will be the 3rd largest since monitoring began 32 years ago. The “dead zone” will cover about 8,185 square miles — an area roughly the size of New Jersey.

News Release | TexPIRG Education Fund | Budget, Food

Ag Subsidies Pay for 21 Twinkies per Taxpayer, But Only Half of an Apple Apiece

Federal subsidies for commodity crops are subsidizing junk food additives like high fructose corn syrup, enough to pay for 21 Twinkies per taxpayer every year, according to TexPIRG’s new report, Apples to Twinkies 2012. Meanwhile, limited subsidies for fresh fruits and vegetables would buy one half of an apple per taxpayer.

Report | TexPIRG Education Fund | Budget, Food

Apples to Twinkies 2012

In this report, we find that in 2011, over $1.28 billion in taxpayer subsidies went to junk food ingredients, bringing the total to a staggering $18.2 billion since 1995. To put that figure in perspective, $18.2 billion is enough to buy 2.9 billion Twinkies every year - 21 for every single American taxpayer.

Report | TexPIRG Education Fund | Food

Apples to Twinkies

Subscribe to RSS - Food

Support Us

Your tax-deductible donation supports TexPIRG Education Fund's work to educate consumers on the issues that matter, and to stand up to the powerful interests that are blocking progress.

Donate Today

Learn More

You can also support TexPIRG Education Fund’s work through bequests, contributions from life insurance or retirement plans, securities contributions and vehicle donations. 

Find out more