The American Sustainable Business Network Welcomes the Re-Introduction of PACTPA as Smart Solution to Rebuild US Food System

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN), a movement builder organization committed to inform, connect, and mobilize the business and investor community toward a sustainable economy, applauds U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) for the re-introduction of a package of bills designed to reform the nation’s agriculture sector – including the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA), which ASBN has identified as essential to protect the safety of children, farmworkers, America’s food system and the environment.

This legislation would remove harmful pesticides within the American farm system, thereby reducing significant health and environmental impacts. According to Booker, PACTPA would update the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act of 1972 by banning the most damaging pesticides that have been scientifically-proven to harm the safety of people and the environment.

“For too long, the interests of pesticide companies have outweighed the health and safety of the American people and weakened the integrity of our agriculture and food system,” said David Levine, president and co-founder at ASBN. “The re-introduction of PACTPA is a win for responsible business, our children and families and the planet. As ASBN continues to advance public policies that address the threat of harmful chemicals, we look forward to collaborating with policymakers like Senator Booker to bring relief to families and build a healthy and regenerative food system.”

As part of the organization’s ongoing commitment to reduce toxic pesticides, ASBN has engaged its vast network of businesses, investors and farmers to make the business case for a regenerative food and agricultural system. Substantial scientific evidence indicates that the incidence rate of childhood cancers is increasing, farmworkers and their families are suffering from higher rates of injuries and illnesses, and pollinator species are at increasing risk of extinction – all due in part to the use of harmful pesticides.

As a business community inclusive of agriculture and farm enterprises, ASBN and its members advise that eliminating the toxic pesticides included in PACTPA is better for business, the economy and communities across the country.

“For years I have worked to elevate the voices of farmers, workers, and consumers in urban and rural communities, sounding the alarm about our broken food system and calling for change,” said Booker as he re-introduced PACTPA and three other bills. “The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and recent climate change-related disasters have highlighted how fragile our current food system is. So I’m excited to re-introduce a package of bills that would help mold our food system into one that is more competitive, resilient, humane, and just for everyone.”

The business and investor community has an important role to play – not only as supporters and amplifiers of legislation like PACTPA – but also to advance safer, healthier alternatives to toxic pesticides. Prioritizing America’s children and the environment is more than a moral obligation, it is now an economic imperative.

For more information on what ASBN is doing to advance PACTPA or to become a member, visit www.asbnetwork.org. To receive the latest information on key social and environmental legislation impacting the economy, follow us on Twitter at @theASBN.