Corn. More than ???? of 10 billion tons fed to livestock. Corporate benefit: taxpayers paying $4 bil
Corn. More than ???? of 10 billion tons fed to livestock. Corporate benefit: taxpayers paying $4 billion in subsidies over next 10 years in new farm bill, just for corn. Costs $3 to grow one bushel; sells for $2. Beneficiaries: ADM, Cargill, ConAgra. Health: Cheap corn is what made high fructose corn syrup the cheap sweetener of choice: now 10% of American food calories from corn sweeteners. 20% for many children. Metabolized differently from other sweeteners. Levivates tygliceride levels shortly after eating, linked to obesity and heart disease. Requires more pesticide than any other crop. Uses 80 million acres.
Source: Pollan, Michael, "When a crop becomes king," The New York Times, OpEd, 7/19/02