Is US Agricultural Policy making Americans fat?
I recently saw an interesting program aired by ABC and hosted by Peter Jennings. In this program, they turn an investigative eye on how the food industry is contributing to making Americans fat. In the US, 2/3rds of the population is overweight, with 1 in 3 being obese. The report poses some interesting questions around the link between US Agricultural policy and how this contributes to people eating bad food. Here are some of the highlights of this program: Agriculture in the US works with subsidies. The government gives out subsidies to grow specific types of crops. According to critics, the government gives out subsidies without considering the health impact. It is clear that if certain types of foods are subsidized more; those are the ones that are being produced on a larger scale. If you look at the USDA food pyramid, meat, sugars and fats are the food groups we should eat the least of. Now get this, these food groups receive 20 times more subsidies than fruits and vegetables! N