The Star Tribune ran an article this week entitled A KERNEL OF TRUTH? NATION'S OBESE ARE CORN-FED. My dad has begun to follow some the issues I've been bringing up since starting The Omnivore's Dilemma, and he brought the article to my attention. With the Farm Bill up before congress this fall for redesign, I think this is a great time to expose what, in my opinion, is a major major contributer to our country's remarkably poor health: the presence of what author Michael Pollan perfectly labels "a government-sponsored surplus of commodity corn." When I began reading his book I developed the distinct impression that corn, in its present state of genetically modified, calculated over-production really does have catastrophic potential for our national health. I don't think I'm overstating it: I'm talking about corn and I'm saying it looks more than suspect. Read the first section of Pollan's book and you will look at everything you buy with the intent to eat differently. Everything.
There is almost no packaged food item that does not contain corn by-products. I say "almost" because I can't imagine there is none, though I can't list a single example. It's in salad dressing, it's in the wax on your apple, it's in your drinks, it's in your beef, it's in your fish, it's in EVERYTHING. You may think you're eating a wide variety of food groups, but you're not. You're eating so many manifestations of a single raw product: corn, made abundant and ubiquitous courtesy of the US government.
A documentary is coming out called KING CORN. Go check it out. I'll post more links as I can.
Also see OXFAM to learn the basics on the Farm Bill.
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