OneWorld.net (U.S.)

Average: Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome

Your rating: None

(page 3 of 5)

High Fructose Corn Syrup and Other Processed Foods

The United States’ biggest crops include corn, wheat, and soybeans, with the largest crop by far being corn, which is heavily subsidized by the government. Almost half of the corn produced in the United States becomes sugar, especially high-fructose corn sweeteners, which, according to agricultural writer Richard Manning, “is the keystone ingredient in three quarters of all processed foods, especially soft drinks, the food of America’s poor and working classes.” An October 2006 article in Prevention magazine is among the increasing number of reports that explain proven links between the consumption of these sweeteners and the rise in both obesity and diabetes.

Many consumers are also probably not aware of the pesticides used on crops and their impacts on health. Pesticides are generally used to protect crops from being destroyed. Many studies, however, have shown that pesticide use

Pesticides are a $35 billion-a-year industry.

also has serious dangers. Groups like the Pesticide Action Network exist to alert consumers to the dangers of the long-term health effects of using such chemicals on food, claiming that pesticides are “hazardous to human health and the environment, undermine local and global food security, and threaten agricultural biodiversity.” The Centers for Disease Control notes that high levels of pesticide exposure—most commonly experienced by farm workers directly contacting the chemicals—can cause respiratory and neurological problems, among others. Whatever the case for or against pesticide use, it’s also a $35-billion-a-year industry.

It’s not just a matter of the chemicals and additives going into food though. Often, that food is produced in unsustainable ways. Organizations like Food and Water Watch, for example, have been behind campaigns to oppose factory farms where thousands of animals are raised for food in crowded facilities. For these groups, there are the obvious concerns about animal welfare, but they also draw attention to the impact of factory farms on the environment and public health. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, says the Sierra Club, hog, chicken, and cattle waste has polluted 35,000 miles of rivers in 22 states and contaminated groundwater in 17 states.

While proponents of factory farms assert that such large-scale farming is the most efficient way to produce large quantities of inexpensive food, consumer campaigns like Sustainable Table and others are quick to point out once again that the lower prices of industrial food do not take into account these external costs of production.

Page 1 - Eating in America: At What Cost? Page 2 - A Closer Look at Food Miles Page 3 - High Fructose Corn Syrup and Other Processed Foods Page 4 - The Future of Organics Page 5 - The Slow Food Movement

PERSPECTIVES HOME: Farm to Table

Average: Select ratingPoorOkayGoodGreatAwesome

Your rating: None