The Revolving Door Between Government and the Food Industry

In Super Baby Food, we used Michael R. Taylor’s career as an example of the revolving door between government and the industries government regulates. But Michael Taylor is hardly alone. Here are some other examples.

Kailee Tkacz: Snack Foods and Corn Refiners to USDA

Before joining USDA, Kailee Tkacz was Director of Food Policy for the Corn Refiners Association, where she worked on food and nutrition issues at the federal, state, local, and international levels. Before that, she was Director of Government Affairs for the Snack Food Association and Government Affairs Manager for the National Grocers Association.

In 2017, USDA appointed Tkacz as a policy adviser in Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services—the part of USDA involved with federal nutrition programs and nutrition policy. Her appointment attracted particular attention because her government work included the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Maggie Lyons: Grocery Industry to USDA

Maggie Lyons provides another example. Before joining USDA, Lyons was Senior Government Relations Director for the National Grocers Association. Her work there included SNAP and WIC—two major federal nutrition programs.

In 2017, USDA appointed Lyons Chief of Staff and senior adviser in Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, the USDA division involved with those same federal nutrition programs.

Rebeckah Adcock: Agribusiness Lobbying to USDA

Rebeckah Adcock worked as Senior Director of Government Affairs for CropLife America, a trade association representing pesticide manufacturers. Before that, she worked for the American Farm Bureau Federation.

In 2017, Adcock became a senior adviser to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. At USDA, she advised the Secretary on policy and regulatory matters and served as USDA’s Regulatory Reform Officer.

How Common Is the Revolving Door?

This is not just a handful of unusual examples. One analysis using lobbying data from the Center for Responsive Politics, now called OpenSecrets, found that in 2009, 252 food-and-beverage lobbyists—72.4 percent of the industry’s lobbyists that year—were “revolvers.” In other words, they had experience moving between government and lobbying.

That figure is historical—it is not today’s percentage. But it gives an idea of how extensive the connections between government and the food-and-beverage industry have sometimes been.

None of these career moves proves that an individual is dishonest or that a particular government decision was made to benefit industry. The concern is the system itself. When people move between industries and the government agencies that oversee those industries, they bring their knowledge, relationships, contacts, and experience with them.

Sometimes that revolving door seems to spin pretty fast.

Sources and More Information

USDA: New Leadership for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services
USDA’s announcement describes the previous industry positions of Kailee Tkacz and Maggie Lyons.

Project On Government Oversight: The Snack Food and Corn Syrup Lobbyist Shaping the Dietary Guidelines
More information about Kailee Tkacz, Maggie Lyons, and the revolving door at USDA.

Union of Concerned Scientists: Betrayal at the USDA
Examples and discussion of industry officials and lobbyists moving into USDA positions.

Pittsburgh Journal of Environmental and Public Health: Food Industry Conflicts of Interest
This article reports the historical 2009 figure of 252 revolving-door food-and-beverage lobbyists, representing 72.4 percent of food-and-beverage lobbyists that year.