PLANT Act Introduced in U.S. Congress to Strengthen Plant-Based Foods Industry
U.S. Representative Jim McGovern of Massachusetts has introduced a bill in Congress designed to support the nation’s plant-based foods industry, according to news reports out of the state. The PLANT (Peas, Legumes, and Nuts Today) Act would increase research and production of plant-based foods, at a time when McGovern believes the country should embrace the “enormous potential that plant-based foods have to strengthen our economy and our food system.”
The bill has been sponsored by companies such as Beyond Meat and Ben & Jerry’s, as well as the American Heart Association and other advocacy groups. McGovern told the Daily Hampshire Gazette that the act is designed to help farmers, rural foods businesses and local communities, and give local food systems the opportunity “to contribute to emerging food systems as well.”
The PLANT Act would provide loans and rural development grants to plant-based foods processors and the farmers supplying them, as well as research and funding grants.