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U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz has received a perfect 100 percent score on the 2013 National Food Policy Scorecard put out by Food Policy Action (FPA) for his work to make sure Hawaii families have access to food.

“Having healthy, nutritious food is a basic necessity for everyone, but access to that food may not be so basic,” Schatz said. “More than 90,000 Hawaii families rely on help from the government each month to put food on their tables. We all need to work together to be sure families in Hawaii have nutritious food.”

Scores for Hawaii’s other Congressional members:

* Sen. Mazie Hirono – 83 percent
* Rep. Colleen Hanabusa – 85 percent
* Rep. Tulsi Gabbard – 83 percent

FPA was created in 2012 to turn shared values about sustainable food and farming into national priorities. The National Food Policy Scorecard is published to educate the public on food policy issues and provides objective information about the most important food policy votes before Congress. The Scorecard reflects the consensus of top food policy experts who select key food policy votes each year.

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Food Police Action’s Congressional scorecard names 87 Good Food Champions

Food Policy Action, a national nonprofit organization, has announced that 87 members of Congress – 73 House members and 14 senators – have received perfect scores on its 2013 National Food Policy Scorecard.

“Few things have as much of an impact on our lives as food,” said Tom Colicchio, owner of Craft Restaurants and FPA board member. “That’s especially true for the families who don’t have enough to eat. Until now, voters had no simple way to find out whether their lawmakers voted to cut or protect food assistance for the neediest Americans. Thanks to the FPA scorecard, now they know.”

Senators were graded on six votes and House members on 13 votes related to hunger, food aid, food labels and farm subsidies.

Launched last year, FPA is the first national organization to publish an annual scorecard that grades lawmakers on congressional food policy votes. An advisory council of food policy experts picks which votes are relevant and should be scored.

The FPA Board of Directors approves those choices.

“Over the course of the last two years, numerous votes have been taken to alter domestic and international food assistance programs, many with profound consequences for hungry people,” said Ray Offenheiser, Oxfam President and FPA board member.

“All legislators have had to choose whether they will stand up for the people who are struggling to get enough to eat or if they will instead side with special interests,” he said. “These officials should be on notice that their constituents will use this scorecard to measure their performance.”

“This scorecard, the second FPA has issued, provides compelling evidence that food policy need not be a partisan issue,” said Ken Cook, FPA board chair and EWG president. “Many Republicans – including Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins – scored better than their Democratic colleagues. There is no question but that food has become more political in 2013. Hardly a day goes by when policymakers aren’t debating whether to cut SNAP, the food stamp program, reform farm subsidies, roll back food safety standards, reduce the use of antibiotics, pay food workers a living wage or set standards for the humane treatment of farm animals.”

Colicchio, Offenheiser and Cook are joined on FPA board by Robin Schepper, former executive director of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative; Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World; Gary Hirshberg, co-founder and chairman of Stonyfield Farm; Wayne Pacelle, chief executive officer and president of the Humane Society of the United States; Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest; Dave Murphy, founder and executive director of Food Democracy Now!; Mia Dell, chief lobbyist for United Food and Commercial Workers; Navina Khanna, co-founder of Live Real; and John Boyd, president of the National Black Farmers Association

Good Food Champions in the Senate: http://www.foodpolicyaction.org/politicians.php?stab=&chamber=SENATE&party=&orderby=Score

Good Food Champions in the House: http://www.foodpolicyaction.org/politicians.php?stab=&chamber=HOUSE&party=&orderby=Score

— Find out more:
www.foodpolicyaction.org