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