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Corn Tries to Look a Little Too Sweet 7-1-08
This week's $4.8 billion merger of Corn Products International and Bunge Ltd.
probably didn't catch your eye, but with revenues projected to increase 29
percent this year to $4 billion, you might consider paying attention -- for the
sake of your belly and the environment.
Corn syrup manufacturers are going on the offensive -- and that includes a charm
offensive. The Corn Refiners Association -- an industry trade group -- launched
a new marketing campaign yesterday that coincided with the announcement of the
multi-billion dollar merger.
Corn syrup is trying to clean up its image, but its glossy, interactive website
won't work. In an era when two-thirds of Americans are overweight, it's about
time we start to re-examine food policy. Surprisingly, (or not, depending on how
closely you follow America's convoluted food system) it all comes back to corn.
We produce so much corn (heavily subsidized by our tax dollars) that we are
feeding it to our cows, turning it into fuel, and developing sweeteners and
additives that are pervasive in packaged and processed foods. The average
American eats more than 14 tablespoons of sugar a day and an increasing amount
of sweeterners is coming from corn syrup. So I am forced to ask: why are we
subsidizing the obesity of our own country?
More than 76 million acres of corn are cultivated annually in the United States.
Of overall U.S. production, 43 percent will be fed to livestock, more than 20
percent will be turned into ethanol, and most of the remainder will become high
fructose corn syrup, corn oil and a host of other corn-based additives and
starches destined to end up in foods such as the heavily processed,
over-packaged Ring Ding. Yet, the consequences of producing so much corn don't
end at our own belt buckles. While the government spends billions to subsidize
food that adds weight to our bellies, they simultaneously fund destruction of
America's fertile land.
The environmental impact of growing all of this corn is simply astounding. Aside
from industrial animal production, there is no food raised that is more
destructive than industrial corn. Every year, this corn is sprayed with 162
million pounds of chemical pesticides. The production, packaging, and transport
of these pesticides contribute 2.7 billion pounds of greenhouse gases to the
environment every year. An estimated 17.8 billion pounds of synthetic
fertilizers are used on our corn every year -- more than any other crop --
contributing an additional 35 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. When
you add harvesting, processing, and water pollution from agricultural runoff,
you've got one big carbon footprint. It derives almost completely from animals,
corn syrup and preservatives.
The funny thing about corn is that most of the kind that we grow in this country
doesn't directly feed people. (Having grown up in Northern Maryland, I learned
that when I got hungry while playing in corn fields next to my house.)
Industrial corn grown for animals and corn byproducts does not taste at all like
the corn we eat. The delicious sweet corn we all cherish during summer months is
only a small percentage of corn grown domestically. Farm stand corn has a
minimal environmental impact, and its nutritional value can not be disputed.
Unfortunately, its industrial cousin seems to have gained all the fame -- at
least in the eyes of corporations and agri-business investors.
Like a growing number of Americans, I am swearing off corn-syrup and as many
corn byproducts as possible. You can reduce your own "FoodPrint" by not buying
over-packaged foods and processed foods containing byproducts from corn grown
with pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and a lot of fuel. By giving up
corn-sweetened and preserved foods, you'll also, hopefully, be opting for more
whole foods, which are better for your health and the environment. Organic
alternatives may still contain corn products but at least you'll know you are
buying something that was grown without pesticides, herbicides and other
non-organic inputs that pollute soil and waterways.
The Corn Refiners Association spent a lot of money on their marketing campaign,
but their slogan "Time for a little food for thought -- isn't it?" feels ironic.
It is time for some food for thought, but why don't we think about why we are
growing so much corn in the first place? What will our society and environment
actually gain?
Forget high-fructose corn syrup: I'm sticking to organic cane sugar, because,
well, corn just isn't that sweet.
Comment:
We already skip corn because it is a grain, most often genetically modified, and highly allergenic. I would suggest you do also. It isn't that hard to do by fallowing this chart: Easy Substitutions For Healthier Living!