Mission: To mobilize people to reclaim their political power, hold elected officials accountable, and resist corporate control—ensuring we all have the essential resources we need to thrive. 

About the organization: Founded in 2005 by the staff of Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer rights advocacy group and think tank, Food & Water Watch is dedicated to protecting food and water through research, education, lobbying, activism, and media outreach. In an effort to protect food, water, and climate, the organization mobilizes at the local, state, and federal levels to build political power to ban fracking, end fossil fuel production and use, power a clean energy revolution, call out “fake” solutions,  promote a safe, sustainable food system, shut down factory farms, advocate for safe conditions for food service workers, inform others about GMOs, improve access to clean water, advocate for the support of public water systems, end water shutoffs, and support the WATER act, among other issues.  

Current programs: Through its Clean Water program, Food & Water Watch conducts research, policy advocacy, legal efforts, and grassroots organizing efforts to inform the public, the media, and decision makers about threats to essential water resources and advocates for policies that will protect clean and safe water managed in the public interest. Its advocacy campaigns help people and their communities keep their water systems under public control, oppose multinational water companies trying to bottle public water for private profits, and advocate for more federal resources to maintain and update aging water infrastructure. The Food System program works behind the scenes in Congress, in statehouses, with regulatory agencies, and in the courts to protect food safety and promote a sustainable and secure food system that provides healthy food for consumers and an economically viable living for family farmers and rural communities. Food & Water Watch created an Energy and Climate program to address agricultural consolidation and the proliferation of factory farms, decades of neglect resulting in decaying water infrastructure and privatization, an erosion of bedrock environmental laws, and extreme extraction and use of fossil fuels. To that end, Food & Water Watch’s research includes reports, fact sheets, case studies, and policy briefings. There is also a compendium of legal cases Food & Water Watch is undertaking against corporations and agencies.

Website: Visitors can learn more about Food & Water Watch’s staff, offices, and finances; its focus issues, including food, water, and climate; read news and opinions; review its press center; and learn how to take action, volunteer, and become a member. The site also features information on its virtual conference and reception and ways to give to the organization. 

Funding:  Food & Water Watch is supported by individuals, foundations, program services, government grants, and investment income.