Washington, D.C.-based political reporting organization POLITICO has just launched a new platform of its subscription-based news service focusing on issues in agriculture and food policy. POLITICO Pro Agriculture will provide up-to-date, real time coverage of policy news on regulations, legislation, and industry safety policies in food and agriculture, among other topics in the field.
According to POLITICO Pro Managing Editor Martin Kady II, the platform was launched to highlight these issues because they’re not adequately covered by traditional news outlets, despite how prominent they’ve become in the public eye.
“Agriculture and food policy seemed like a really obvious area to jump into – it’s a huge industry, with a ton of lobbying and policy interest in Washington. And also, there’s [significant] consumer interest. Regular people are more interested than ever in where their food comes from, what’s in it, who’s making it, how it’s being processed, how it’s being packaged – and all of that stems from policy-making, both in Washington and on the state level,” he says.
Kady also noted that the demand for this coverage is high: “In advance [of the launch], we had meetings with industry leaders, policymakers, folks in Washington, and found that they are really hungry for minute-by-minute, real-time coverage of both legislation and the regulations that affect them.”
Kady went on to emphasize that the focus of POLITICO Pro Agriculture won’t just be on the politics of food and agriculture, which is what POLITICO is primarily known for, but rather the policy behind the food we eat. And furthermore, coverage won’t just be restricted to Washington – state legislation will also be closely monitored.
“States are the battleground for [food and agriculture policy] right now, so being able to follow the latest in all the states is of huge value to our readers.”
POLITICO Pro Agriculture is the ninth of the publication’s policy verticals to launch, with one focusing on trade due to debut in October.
