Corn Corn Corn

In the first quarter of Michael Pollen’s, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, I was surprised by the overwhelming use of corn in the United States with each turn of the page. Before reading this book I hate no idea of the extent to which corn dominates the agricultural industry, now harvesting over 10 billion bushels a year. I appreciate Pollen’s writing about traveling to specific farms in Iowa and Kansas. He spoke with farmers across the Midwest and appears to have thoroughly investigated the permeating influence of corn into the U.S. market.

Specifically the effects of Industrial Corn are staggering. Our diet exists of almost entirely corn. Americans feed their livestock with corn and corn products. Over 50% of the corn produced in the United States goes to feeding livestock at feedlots. The fact that stuck with me was that feeding livestock corn cuts the animal’s average lifespan in half. The drastic change in diet and consistent unhealthy conditions prevent their full growth.

The effect of using corn to an excessive amount is depicted most clearly in the health of the American people. Over 200,000 products in supermarkets, as well as the structural material of the supermarket itself come from industrial corn products. Creating and consuming processed foods has lead to a 60% obesity rate in American adults. Cheaper, faster options often beat out homegrown, organic, healthy food choices. After all it appears that as with everything else, money does mold and shape our diet whether we think we have a say in it or not. Corn is king and it’s going to take a mass boycott of corn products before we see a decline in corn products.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pI1S9-1Yak