This commentary is by Niccola Milnes. She is a counterterrorism and conflict adviser, and founder of a children’s supplement brand called Little Boosties.
When my husband and I moved with our three little boys to Vermont seven years ago, it wasn’t just the mountains or the tight-knit communities that drew us in. It was the state’s deep-rooted culture of eating with the seasons, knowing our farmers and honoring the land’s natural rhythms. These weren’t trends here — they were traditions.
Raised by a naturopathic doctor, I grew up before “wellness” was an industry, back when you had to join co-ops just to get organic food. Eating locally and organically wasn’t about marketing — it was about practicality, resourcefulness and respect for the land. But over the years, the food landscape has shifted. What was once a way of life became a booming industry, and more recently, something else entirely: a dichotomous political flashpoint.
Lately, I’ve watched with dismay as something as fundamental as food has been dragged into partisan debates. Prioritizing healthy, organic, local food should be considered too fundamental to be a political statement. This isn’t about left or right — it’s about feeding our families well. And in Vermont, that has always been a core value.
As an advisor at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), over the past few weeks I’ve had a front-row seat to how political division can derail real progress. I’ve also seen what happens when communities stay focused on what actually matters. In Vermont, what matters is clear: the health of our families, the strength of our local farms and the sustainability of our food systems.
I was reminded of this last year, when wildfires spread across the country and parents — myself included — scrambled to figure out how to protect our kids from the smoke and toxins in the air. It wasn’t some political debate — it was a basic question of health and resilience.
That moment reinforced what Vermonters have always known: what we put into our bodies matters. It’s why I started Little Boosties, a children’s whole-food-based supplement brand rooted in the same values that have long defined this state — clean ingredients, transparency and a respect for nature. Advocating for real food should not be a political statement. Let’s not let politics eat at the edges of what has always been the Vermont way.
Read the story on VTDigger here: Niccola Milnes: Healthy living isn’t political; it’s a Vermont tradition.