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Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

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  • Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

    I recently watched Food Inc. and they do a good job of presenting how government subsidies directly affect how we eat (they also get into different aspects, definitely worth a watch).
    Among the effects are making unhealthier food cheaper, more resources being put into corn among other heavily subsidized crops and all of its terrible derivatives (corn syrup) that can be found in an unimaginable amount of products. They also go on to say how ridiculous patent laws have helped monsanto rule the market with its GMO seed.

    The solution the film offer are pretty dumb, in the sense that they want more government intervention after showing for over an hour how governnment intervention has distorted the market and created borderline cartels in the industry.

    Anyway it is definitely worth a watch:


  • #2
    Re: Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

    Too bad Bertolt Brecht or Harold Pinter aren't still around to write a play around corn. A noble, now much-aligned and exploited staple of mankind.

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    • #3
      Re: Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

      Along the same lines (I imagine, not having seen the film) is Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma, a really brilliant book and surprisingly fun read.

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      • #4
        Re: Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

        Originally posted by Dave Stratman View Post
        Along the same lines (I imagine, not having seen the film) is Michael Pollan, The Omnivore's Dilemma, a really brilliant book and surprisingly fun read.

        You have heard something like this before I am sure. The book is better . It was hard to put down.

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        • #5
          Re: Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

          There's another related documentary from 2007 called King Corn. Two guys go to Iowa and grow an acre of corn, and interview people about how it's modified and processed and goes into everything we eat and drink. Great moment is when they try to eat some of the corn they've grown and it tastes disgusting, almost inedible. The corn grown today is a far cry from maize.

          kingcorn.net

          trailer on apple.com

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          • #6
            Re: Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

            And to think it all started with a politician's (Nixon) idea of fighting inflation (delegating Earl Butz to implement inflation-fighting agricultural measures).

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            • #7
              Re: Agricultural subsidies helping america get fat

              Originally posted by zoog View Post
              There's another related documentary from 2007 called King Corn. Two guys go to Iowa and grow an acre of corn, and interview people about how it's modified and processed and goes into everything we eat and drink. Great moment is when they try to eat some of the corn they've grown and it tastes disgusting, almost inedible. The corn grown today is a far cry from maize.

              kingcorn.net

              trailer on apple.com
              The sequel: Ethanol - Another Hoax

              Comment

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