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Michael
Pollan
Zea mays, or corn as it is
more commonly known, is the world's most widely planted cereal crop.
In North America, corn is treated
like a king not only in the fields and food system, but also in Washington,
D.C.
Last month, President Bush
signed a bill requiring taxpayers to pay farmers $4 billion a year, over
a ten-year period, to grow more corn. More corn when the U.S. is desperately
trying to find ways to get rid of the current surplus corn produced here.
More corn when farmers are currently selling it for over a dollar less
per bushel than it cost them to produce it. A $190 billion bill to grow
more corn when planting less corn would increase the price farmers receive
for it, and eliminate the extreme surplus. If farmers don't benefit from
this bill, then who does? The Archer Daniels Midlands, Tysons and Coca-Colas
of the world.
The United States, possibly
without realizing it, is a nation saturated in corn. The animals we eat
are fed a diet of corn, even if it is not good for them. The natural diet
of beef cattle, for instance, is grass, but they are fed the cheaper corn,
which disrupts their digestive systems making it necessary to give them
antibiotics to stave off illness and infection. 10 billion bushels of
corn are devoted to feeding livestock annually; companies like A.D.M.,
Cargill and ConAgra have figured ingenious new ways to dispose of the
leftovers - and there are a lot of leftovers -- turning it into everything
from ethanol, Vitamin C, biodegradable plastics ... and high-fructose
corn syrup.
High-fructose corn syrup has
done wonders for keeping corn in business. Soft drink and snack manufacturers
have largely abandoned sugar for corn syrup, and nearly 10 percent of
Americans' calories come directly from corn sweeteners. Along with the
corn-based animal protein and corn products such as breads and chips that
we consume, we are saturated in corn.
This great corn excess is doing
excessive harm to our bodies and our environment. It is probably not by
chance that the surge in obesity and Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. coincides
with the surge in use of corn sweeteners in soft drinks and snacks, corn
sweeteners whose relative bargain price enabled manufactures and retailers
to create ever-larger portion sizes.
What's more, it also appears
that high-fructose corn syrup is metabolized
differently than other sugars, making it potentially more harmful.
A recent study found that
fructose elevates triglyceride
levels in men shortly after eating, potentially leading to increased risk
of obesity and heart disease. Less is known about the
effects of eating so much corn-fed meat, though in the case of cattle,
researchers have found that corn-fed beef is higher in saturated fats
than grass-fed beef.
In terms of our environment,
80 million acres of corn is causing serious harm. Common corns demand
more nitrogen fertilizer and pesticides than any other food crop, resulting
in chemical runoffs that penetrate groundwater and pollute our waterways.
And production of the required fertilizer and pesticides consumes vast
amounts of oil and natural gas - a half a gallon of fossil fuel for every
bushel of corn, to be exact.
In terms of land and resources
devoted to it, and consumption of it, corn is, indeed, king. But not necessarily
a benevolent king.
New
York Times July 19, 2002
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