Food and Water Watch (FWW) is an environmentalist organizing group involved in campaigns against natural gas development, bottled water, and genetically modified foods, among other things. The organization is best known for its campaigns against shale gas exploration in New York and Colorado, though it also was deeply involved in efforts to mandate labels on genetically modified foods.

FWW tactics emphasize local bans on hydraulic fracturing, a method of gas drilling that has grown in usage in recent years. In campaigning for these prohibitions, FWW and its activists create front organizations to obscure the involvement of national groups (including Food and Water Watch itself)¹²

Food and Water Watch funders include core environmentalist foundations, other major progressive foundations, and donor-advised funds that allow donors to conceal their identities. Community foundations, a form of donor-advised fund, provided over half of FWW’s total revenues in each year from 2011 through 2014.³ Other FWW funders also include traditional environmentalist funders like the Park Foundation, the Tides Foundation, and the Town Creek Foundation.⁴

Food and Water Watch has been criticized for its selective use of scientific evidence to exaggerate the potential risks of natural gas drilling and the impacts of genetic improvement of food. The group has solicited voter pledges to oppose water fluoridation in Portland, Oregon.⁵ In November 2020 Food and Water Watch was a signatory on a letter to the U.S. Senate stating that nuclear energy “amplifies and expands the dangers of climate change” (nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions). ⁶

Background

Food and Water Watch is a well-funded environmentalist organization that leads the campaign against natural gas exploration. The group also attacks foreign trade, advocates for government control of water supplies, and protests the use of genetically engineered crops.

Food and Water Watch developed from the Ralph Nader-founded Public Citizen network. Prior to taking over FWW executive director Wenonah Hauter was director of Public Citizen’s energy policy program.⁷ The Public Citizen Foundation has contributed funds to Food and Water Watch, transferring $12,593 to Food and Water Watch shortly after the latter’s founding in 2007.⁸

FWW has grown steadily since its founding in 2005. By 2011, FWW reported revenues of over $11 million, up from $3 million in 2006.⁹

Funding

Food and Water Watch relies heavily on donor-advised funds for its revenues. Donor-advised funds allow contributors to avoid disclosing their identities, as the funds report grants to other 501(c)(3) groups as contributions from the fund rather than the donor. Food and Water Watch does not readily disclose its donors.

In 2012, Food and Water Watch received $10,121,200 in contributions from donor-advised funds, including the National Philanthropic Trust, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. In total, those three donor-advised foundations provided 84.3 percent of the group’s 2012 revenues.¹⁰

Similar results hold for 2013. Food and Water Watch received contributions from the Chicago Community Trust, the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, the Columbus Foundation, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and the Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, all of which operate donor-advised funds. These contributions totaled $9,835,300 or 74.4% of FWW’s revenues.¹¹

Community foundations provided a similar chunk of FWW’s 2014 revenue. Contributions from the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, Columbus Foundation, and Silicon Valley Community Foundation provided $9,016,900 or 61.0% of Food and Water Watch yearly revenue.¹²

In addition to the anonymous or “dark money” contributions from community foundations, FWW receives money from other identifiable organizations. The Park Foundation, a major environmentalist contributor, provided $375,000 of FWW’s 2013 revenue with a further $250,000 provided in 2014.¹³

Donors to FWW

The following are known grants to Food and Water Watch: ¹⁴

In 2019, the Silicon Valley Community Foundation (SVCF) donated $6,176,750 to FWW. ¹⁵

Opposition to Nuclear Energy

Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. ¹⁶ An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. ¹⁷

Food and Water Watch was one of more than 100 co-signatories on a November 2020 letter to the U.S. Senate that expressed opposition to S. 4897, the “American Nuclear Infrastructure Act of 2020.” The letter stated that nuclear power “amplifies and expands the dangers of climate change” and denounced it as an example of “false solutions to the climate crisis that perpetuate our reliance on dirty energy industries.” The letter was signed by Mitch Jones, who was identified as the policy director for Food and Water Watch. ¹⁸

Anti-Natural Gas Campaigns

Food and Water Watch is probably most notable for its role leading the ground efforts in campaigns to prohibit drilling for natural gas. FWW campaigns for a total prohibition on the highly successful technique known as hydraulic fracturing, which is credited with lowering the consumer price of natural gas substantially and increasing American energy production. When the Environmental Defense Fund received support from the Bloomberg Philanthropies to work on a regulatory approach to govern gas exploration, FWW attacked EDF for “shilling.”¹⁹

As part of the campaigns, Food and Water Watch manages ostensibly local-led coalitions pushing for bans on gas drilling, often disguised as “local control.”²⁰ These groups are then funded by or through Food and Water Watch.

New Yorkers Against Fracking, the supposedly local pressure group that led the effort to get Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) administration to prohibit hydraulic fracturing in the state, is a clear example. The Park Foundation, Tides Foundation, and New World Foundation made contributions to Food and Water Watch specifically for the New Yorkers Against Fracking campaign.²¹

Food and Water Watch has also funded campaigns to ban gas exploration in Colorado. After local initiatives to prohibit gas exploration were overturned by the Colorado Supreme Court, activists collected signatures for a measure to reverse the court’s decision. According to Colorado campaign finance records, Food and Water Watch (and its associated 501(c)(4), Food and Water Watch Action Fund) contributed over $115,000 in money and in-kind support to the effort.²²

Anti-Genetically Modified Food Campaigns

Food and Water Watch is one of the loudest campaigners against foods and crops enhanced with genetic engineering. FWW officers may stand to gain from restrictions on these foods: Executive director Wenonah Hauter co-owns an organic farm.²³ (Organic foods may not use any ingredients produced using genetically engineered crops.)

The group routinely alleges conspiracies by scientific authorities (which have largely endorsed the safety of these foods and crops) to suppress research critical of genetic engineering.²⁴ Interestingly, Food and Water Watch, like other environmentalist groups that oppose genetically engineered crops, relies on many of the same scientific authorities to justify regulations to cut carbon dioxide emissions.²⁵

Food and Water Watch reports substantial expenditure on efforts in the food space. According to FWW’s IRS Forms 990, the organization spent over $4 million per year on food policy efforts in 2013 and 2014 on top of the over $3.5 million spent annually from 2010-2012.²⁶

Some of this money makes it into campaigns to mandate labels on genetically engineered foods, a state-level regulation pushed by environmentalists and the organic food and organic products lobbies until federal law overrode them in 2016.

In Oregon, FWW provided at least $89,000 in in-kind and cash support for a 2014 labeling ballot measure²⁷

In Colorado, FWW provided $3,309 in support for a 2014 ballot measure that would have mandated labeling²⁸

In Washington, FWW contributed $15,000 for a 2013 measure that would have mandated labeling²⁹

People

Wenonah Hauter is the executive director of Food and Water Watch. She is the co-owner of an organic farm and previously worked for Public Citizen, Citizen Action, and the Union of Concerned Scientists.³⁰ Since taking over FWW, Hauter has written two books on the organization’s issue priorities: Frackopoly, an attack book against the natural gas industry, and Foodopoly, against food producers and conventional farmers. FEC records show that Hauter contributed to the 2016 Presidential campaign of socialist United States Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) and the 2000 Presidential campaign of Public Citizen founder and Green Party candidate Ralph Nader.³¹

The board chair of Food and Water Watch is controversial Canadian water policy and anti-trade activist Maude Barlow.  Barlow is a former senior adviser on water issues to the United Nations and serves as president of the Council of Canadians, a Canadian anti-trade Naderite group.³² Barlow’s principal policy interest appears to be prohibiting any and all private control or ownership of water supplies, which she advocates for through the Blue Planet Project, a project of the Council.³³ (Food and Water Watch shares this position, and has campaigned heavily against bottled water.) Barlow was criticized by the Ambassador of the European Union to Canada for stirring up opposition to trade agreements between Canada and Europe; the Ambassador referred to Barlow and the Council of Canadians as “many people who are anti-U.S., anti-globalization.”³⁴

Tony Corbo is the senior lobbyist for Food and Water Watch. He is a former public employee union organizer who previously worked for Public Citizen.³⁵ In total, 11 lobbyists were listed as registered to represent Food and Water Watch in the first quarter of 2016.³⁶

1. Minority Staff, U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. “The Chain of Environmental Command: How a Club of Billionaires and Their Foundations Control the Environmental Movement and Obama’s EPA.” July 30, 2014. Accessed March 27, 2017. https://www.epw.senate.gov/public/_cache/files/6ce8dd13-e4ab-4b31-9485-6d2b8a6f6b00/chainofenvironmentalcommand.pdf
2. Food and Water Watch, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax, 2014
3. Author’s analysis of tax returns filed by exempt organizations with the Internal Revenue Service. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation reported a grant of $6,471,200 in 2012; FWW reported revenues of $11,998,609. Silicon Valley Community Foundation reported a grant of $6,450,000 in 2011; FWW reported revenues of $11,497,597. For 2013, FWW reported revenues of $13,222,186 in 2013. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation reported a grant of $2,245,000; Silicon Valley Community Foundation reported a grant of $3,000,300; the Columbus Foundation reported three grants totaling $3,425,000; Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund reported a grant of $15,000; and Chicago Community Trust reported a grant of $1,150,000. For 2014, FWW reported revenues of $14,789,640. The Columbus Foundation reported four grants totaling $3,400,000. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation reported one grant of $1,001,900. The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation reported one grant of $4,615,000.
4. Data compiled by FoundationSearch.com subscription service, a project of Metasoft Systems, Inc., from forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Queries conducted March 27, 2017.
5. Food and Water Watch. “Food and Water Watch: Vote No on Fluoridation.” Fluoride Action Network. March 2013. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://fluoridealert.org/content/fww_portland/
6. “Dear Chairman Barrasso, Ranking Member Carper, and Members of the Committee.” November 20, 2020. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://legacy-assets.eenews.net/open_files/assets/2020/12/02/document_daily_01.pdf.
7. Hauter, Wenonah. “Testimony of Wenonah Hauter, Director, Public Citizen’s Energy Program.” Public Citizen. October 6, 2004. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://www.citizen.org/documents/NatGasTestimony10-04.pdf  
8. Public Citizen Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2006
9. “Food and Water Watch.” Guidestar. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://www.guidestar.org/profile/32-0160439 
10. Author’s analysis of tax returns filed by exempt organizations with the Internal Revenue Service. FWW reported revenues of $11,998,609 in 2012. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation reported a grant of $6,471,200; Silicon Valley Community Foundation reported a grant of $1,150,000; and National Philanthropic Trust reported two grants totaling 2,375,000.
11. Author’s analysis of tax returns filed by exempt organizations with the Internal Revenue Service. FWW reported revenues of $13,222,186 in 2013. Greater Kansas City Community Foundation reported a grant of $2,245,000; Silicon Valley Community Foundation reported a grant of $3,000,300; the Columbus Foundation reported three grants totaling $3,425,000; Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund reported a grant of $15,000; and Chicago Community Trust reported a grant of $1,150,000
12. Author’s analysis of tax returns filed by exempt organizations with the Internal Revenue Service. FWW reported revenues of $14,789,640. The Columbus Foundation reported four grants totaling $3,400,000. The Silicon Valley Community Foundation reported one grant of $1,001,900. The Greater Kansas City Community Foundation reported one grant of $4,615,000.
13. Data compiled by FoundationSearch.com subscription service, a project of Metasoft Systems, Inc., from forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Queries conducted March 27, 2017.
14. Information provided by FoundationSearch. Search conducted April 7, 2021. www.FoundationSearch.org
15. Return of Foundation Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990-PF). Silicon Valley Community Foundation. 2019. Schedule I. Archived: https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2021/06/Silicon-Valley-Community-Foundation-2019-Form-990.pdf. See PDF page 249.
16. “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
17. “ The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability/
18. “Dear Chairman Barrasso, Ranking Member Carper, and Members of the Committee.” November 20, 2020. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://legacy-assets.eenews.net/open_files/assets/2020/12/02/document_daily_01.pdf.
19. “Environmental Defense Fund: Stop Your Sell-Out to the Gas Industry.” Food & Water Watch. August 27, 2012. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/news/environmental-defense-fund-stop-your-sell-out-gas-industry
20. Hildreth, Randy. “National ‘Ban Fracking’ Groups Hiding Behind ‘Local’ Talking Points.” Energy In Depth. April 25, 2014. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://energyindepth.org/mtn-states/national-ban-fracking-groups-hiding-behind-local-talking-points/
21. Data compiled by FoundationSearch.com subscription service, a project of Metasoft Systems, Inc., from forms filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Queries conducted March 27, 2017.
22. Author’s analysis of contributions to “Yes for Health and Safety Over Fracking” through Colorado Secretary of State’s TRACER filing system for both Food and Water Watch and Food and Water Watch Action Fund
23. “Wenonah Hauter, director of Food and Water Watch, answers questions.” Grist. January 31, 2006. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://grist.org/article/hauter/full/
24. Weise, Elizabeth . “Academies of Science finds GMOs not harmful to human health.” USA Today. May 17, 2016. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2016/05/17/gmos-safe-academies-of-science-report-genetically-modified-food/84458872/
25. Center for Consumer Freedom. “Cherry-Picking Scientific Consensus to Serve AgendaDriven Activism Against Genetically Modified Organisms.” January 6, 2014. Accessed March 27, 2017. https://www.consumerfreedom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/GMO-Research-Brief.pdf
26. Author’s analysis of Food and Water Watch’s Returns of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990) for 2010-2014
27. Author’s calculations based on reports filed with the Oregon Secretary of State showing contributions to “Vote Yes on Measure 92: We have the right to know what’s in our food.” Queries conducted March 27, 2017.
28. Author’s calculations based on reports filed with the Colorado Secretary of State’s TRACER database showing contributions to “Right to Know Colorado GMO.” Queries conducted March 27, 2017.
29. Yes on I-522 Committee, Cash Receipts Monetary Contributions Form C-3, Washington Public Disclosure Commission, October 29, 2013, Accessed March 27, 2017 https://web.pdc.wa.gov/rptimg/default.aspx?batchnumber=100551110
30. “Food and Water Watch: Nader spinoff NGO targets GMO salmon, pesticides.” Genetic Literacy Project. February 7, 2016. Accessed March 27, 2017. https://www.geneticliteracyproject.org/glp-facts/food-water-watch-nader-spinoff-ngo-targets-gmo-salmon-pesticides/#ref_3
31. “Donor Lookup.” OpenSecrets. Accessed March 27, 2017. https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=wenonah%2Bhauter
32. “Maude Barlow named 1st UN water adviser.” CBCnews. October 21, 2008. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/maude-barlow-named-1st-un-water-adviser-1.766537
33. Alter, Alexandra. “How to Quench the World’s Thirst.” The Wall Street Journal. November 08, 2008. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122610638674310287 
34. Blanchfield, Mike. “Canada-EU trade deal could be in full force in 1 year: envoy.” CTVNews. January 22, 2016. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/canada-eu-trade-deal-could-be-in-full-force-in-1-year-envoy-1.2747502 
35. Whistleblower Insider. “Fighting for the Safety of our Food – Interview with Food & Water Watch’s Tony Corbo.” Constantine Cannon. January 9, 2014. Accessed March 27, 2017. http://constantinecannon.com/whistleblower/fighting-safety-food-interview-food-water-watchs-tony-corbo/ 
36. Food and Water Watch, Lobbying Report, First Quarter 2016. Accesed March 27, 2017. http://soprweb.senate.gov/index.cfm?event=getFilingDetails&filingID=500b0354-c5df-4d06-bfc4-cec344f185f0&filingTypeID=51