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!
  • No one looks at how agricultural policy can influence nutrition in a country.
  • Take corn as an example – one of the most highly subsidized crops. Corn is fed as cheap feed for cattle. Cheap feed means more cheap meat. Well, cattle are not meant to eat corn, so they need lots of antibiotics to stay healthy. All of this ends up in the end consumer of course!
  • Another product of corn?? High fructose corn syrup, also known as CHEAP SUGAR. Guess what?! All those “no-no” foods – high processed starches, all practically contain high fructose corn syrup.
  • Another example is soy bean. In its not so healthy form we get soy bean oil. This is the largest source of added fats in American diet!

The cheapness of the food ingredients encourages food producers to make processed food that sit for long periods on the shelf and sell at a high profit (i.e. put more sugar, water, flour, artificial coloring and flavorings in everything!).

Interesting information, to say the least! It is true that what we eat is a personal choice, but the more we educate ourselves about our options, the more wisely we will be able to choose. Furthermore, consumers are the ones that drive the demand. Start asking for quality food, and sooner or later the government will have to follow suit.

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