How U.S. Taxpayers Subsidize Junk Food

Sometimes overlooked in the current discussion of the obesity epidemic is the fact that the U.S. government is underwriting it with agricultural subsidies (see: The Obesity Epidemic as an Economic Driver for the Clinical Labs; Projected Future Costs of Obesity to "Crush" U.S. and U.K. Healthcare Systems). Below is an excerpt from an article that provides the details (see: How US taxpayers fund junk food):

America is facing an obesity epidemic....The rise in childhood obesity has many causes, but one of the most important is the increased prevalence of high-fat, heavily sweetened junk food....Between 1995 and 2010, American taxpayers spent over $260 billion in agricultural subsidies. Most subsidies went to the country’s largest farming operations, mainly to grow just a few commodity crops, including corn and soybeans. While dairy and livestock production also receive some federal support, it is these commodity crops that get the lion’s share of the subsidies. Most of these commodity crops are not simply eaten as-is. Among other uses, food manufacturers process them into additives like high fructose corn syrup and vegetable oils that provide a cheap dose of sweetness and fat to a wide variety of junk food products. Thus, Americans’ tax dollars are directly subsidizing junk food ingredients. Between 1995 and 2010, $16.9 billion in tax dollars subsidized four common food additives – corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, corn starch, and soy oils (which are frequently processed further into hydrogenated vegetable oils). Outside of commodity crops, other agricultural products receive very little in federal subsidies. Since 1995, taxpayers spent only $262 million subsidizing apples, which is the only significant federal subsidy of fresh fruits or vegetables.

Let's get right to the point. Americans consume large quantities of fast food because it's convenient and relatively cheap (see: What Americans Eat; More Calories and Increased Restaurant Food Consumption; Will Posting Calorie Counts in Fast Food Restaurants Help Curb Obesity?). Moreover, the high sugar, fat, and salt content of fast food is addictive (see: Some Salty Facts Keeping to a Healthy Diet; What Americans Eat; More Calories and Increased Restaurant Food Consumption; Making Prepared Foods Healthier Is Easy -- Getting People to Eat Them Is Not). We can't solve this problem overnight but, for a start, let's reduce, or eliminate, the agricultural subsidies for the commodity crops. They are vestiges of polices that are now inappropriate and outdated. Perhaps we can muster the political will to achieve this goal at a time when our federal deficit is begging for attention. Here are a few more details about these subsidies from 2009 (see: Agricultural subsidies):

The U.S. Department of Agriculture distributes between $10 billion and $30 billion in cash subsidies to farmers and owners of farmland each year. The particular amount depends on market prices for crops, the level of disaster payments, and other factors. More than 90 percent of agriculture subsidies go to farmers of five crops—wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, and cotton.  More than 800,000 farmers and landowners receive subsidies, but the payments are heavily tilted toward the largest producers.

Comments

[healthy seasonal recipes]

vestiges of plans that are now incorrect and obsolete.