About Nic Raven

Why I wrote the REAL Food Act

As a professionally trained chef, I believe the food on our tables should nourish us. We often assume that everything on grocery store shelves has been independently tested and approved as safe. Much of it has not. The FDA does not approve most foods before they are sold, including the baby food we feed our children, and its first limits on lead in baby food, issued in 2025, are only voluntary. Through the GRAS process, the FDA has also handed much of its responsibility to the companies that make and sell the products, allowing them to decide for themselves that their own ingredients are safe. I wrote the REAL Food Act to put that responsibility back where it belongs, with independent science, and to give American families food they can trust.

Background

Nic Raven is a professionally-trained chef and earned his Culinary Arts Certificate from Dallas College. He also holds holds a Master of Arts in Sustainability and Development from Southern Methodist University's Lyle School of Engineering, where he focused on sustainability and land use policy. He is completing his MBA at East Texas A&M University and holds a Master of Jurisprudence from Texas A&M University School of Law, with certificates in Energy and Environmental Law and in Oil and Gas Law. Additionally, he holds a master's degree in strategic communication and a bachelor's degree in mass communication from Texas State University.

Nic grew up in Houston Texas and lives in Greenville, in Hunt County. He has traveled to more than 35 countries throughout his military career.

He is a retired U.S. Air Force veteran. His 20-year career, on active duty and in the Air Force Reserve, included combat camera, photojournalism, and strategic communication.