Farm subsidies, bitter and sweet

[Javaman]

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/2/12/165645/217

>snip<

A study just released by the Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts illustrates my point. The authors -- veteran Tufts researcher Tim Wise, plus Alicia Harvie -- look at the effect corn subsidies have had on consumption of high-fructose corn syrup, the U.S. food industry's favorite sweetener.

They essentially pose two questions: 1) Do HFCS producers benefit from the subsidy program?; and 2) Can the rise in obesity/overweight and diabetes rates be tied to corn subsidies through HFCS? Their conclusions might surprise you.

The authors note the rise in sweetener consumption that has been ushered in by the HFCS boom:

-The annual per-capita consumption of caloric sweeteners has increased by 40 pounds in the last 40 years, and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) accounts for 81% of the 83 additional calories the average American consumes each day from sweeteners alone.

Yikes. The HFCS boom has been accompanied -- coincidentally or not -- by a dramatic intensification of the American sweet tooth.