By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD
Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) has introduced H.R. 5023, the Peas, Legumes, and Nuts Today Act or PLANT Act. According to a press release from Representative McGovern, “this act establishes new opportunities for farmers and food companies, creates new jobs in farming communities, advances USDA’s efforts to connect American farmers to new markets at home and abroad, and expands consumer choices at the grocery store, through plant-based food research and production.”
The bill includes a plan to develop a plant-based protein input research program which would allow research grants to improve the nutritional value and flavor of soybeans, wheat, mushrooms, oats, almonds, and other crops. It also calls for the Secretary of Agriculture to establish an Office of Plant-Based Foods and Innovative Production as a department within USDA. The mission of the Office of Plant-Based Foods and Innovative Production would be “to encourage and promote plant-based protein and plant-based food options and plant protein products including the edible proteins made from plants (such as vegetables, beans, and legumes), fungi, or other nonanimal sources.” The bill was referred to the House Agriculture Committee on July 27, 2023.