“While the surgeon general is raising alarms over the epidemic of obesity, the president is signing farm bills designed to keep the river of cheap corn flowing, guaranteeing that the cheapest calories in the supermarket will continue to be the unhealthiest.”
-Michael Pollan

In 2012, the government will hand out $190 billion in subsidies to help boost agriculture in the United States (Fields 820). Through a subsidy, governments give money to people or companies to support their industry and products (Getting to Know Subsidies). People disagree about their usefulness. Some regard them as a “safety net for America’s most vital workers,” but others think that they are simply a waste of money and only help huge corporations (Fields 821).

The corn industry recieves significant subsidies to help produce high fructose corn syrup. Soft drinks, fruit juice, candied/canned fruits, dairy desserts, flavored yogurts, baked goods, cereals, and jellies contain high fructose corn syrup. Chemicals in high fructose corn syrup send signals to the brain saying, “I am empty. Eat more!” (Bray et al).

The consumption of these unhealthy foods is the root cause of obesity in America. Obesity occurs when people have an abundance of extra fats and calories, which leads to extra body weight. In 2012, 1/3 of adults in the United States are obese and 17% of children aged two to nineteen years old are obese. Just in the past year, obesity levels have increased by 10%. (Defining Overweight and Obesity)
Something will have to change. Government agricultural subsidies cause an increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup in the United States, leading to higher obesity levels.


As stated by Michael Pollan, an activist against subsidies, an American author, and a professor of journalism at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, “Nearly 10% of the calories Americans consume now come from corn sweeteners. Add to that all the corn-based animal protein and the corn qua corn and you have a plant that has become one of nature’s greatest success stories, by turning us into an expanding race of corn eaters” (Pollan). High fructose corn syrup is a product of corn, sugar, and fructose, with corn the key ingredient (Bray et al). In 2011, the United States produced 12,358,412 bushels of corn for grain and 108,926 tons of corn for silage (USDA 75). Subsidies and government funded research into how to grow corn economically have caused corn prices to drop, while tariffs have caused sugar prices to stay higher than corn (Beghin and Jensen 11). Over the past year, corn prices have fallen 2 times as fast as sugar prices (Beghin and Jensen 8). With corn’s heavy subsidization, farmers do their best to make the most of it. Byproducts of corn include ethanol in addition to high fructose corn syrup (Pollan). Ethanol, an alternative fuel option made from corn, benefits from the heavy subsidies. It became popular because of its cheap production cost and the subsidies around corn usage in the United States (Watson). While ethanol fueled out cars, high fructose corn syrup fueled our stomachs.

High fructose corn syrup serves as an alternative sweetener option made from corn. Since being introduced in the 1970s and 80s, its usage grew until it currently represents more than 40% of sweeteners that are added to foods and beverages today. It has many major benefits. It is 6 times sweeter than sugar, has a longer shelf life, and isn’t susceptible to freezer burn. When soda companies introduced high fructose corn syrup in Coke, Pepsi, and other sodas, its use increased even more. On average, each person in the United States consumes 43 pounds of high fructose corn syrup per year. (Harvey and Wise 3)

Now, high fructose corn syrup is present in many products, from soft drinks and snacks to candy bars (Pollan).

Pollan also identified the link between corn syrup and obesity in the United States. “It’s probably no coincidence that the wholesale switch to corn sweeteners in the 1980’s marks the beginning of the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in this country. Sweetness became so cheap that drink makers, rather than lower their prices, super-sized their serving portions and marketing budgets. Thousands of new sweetened snack foods hit the market, and the amount of fructose in our diets soared.”

High fructose corn syrup has been shown in multiple studies to have a negative impact on health and obesity.

It contains mercury, which has negative health effects. High fructose corn syrup is digested, metabolized, and absorbed differently than sugar. Also, high fructose corn syrup doesn’t announce insulin or leptin’s presence. Insulin and leptin are key signals that regulate eating habits and body weight. Without them, the body doesn’t tell the brain when the stomach is full. (Bray et al 3)

Triglyceride levels, which affect the risk of obesity, elevate immediately following the consumption of high fructose corn syrup (Harvie and Wise 4). While these have impacts on health, the major consequence of increasing the volume of sweetener consumed is a decrease in health across the country. Many studies suggest that high fructose corn syrup links to obesity. In a study by Bocarsly et al, it was concluded that rats with access to high fructose corn syrup gain more weight than those who have access to regular sugar. The high fructose corn syrup rats’ body weight increased and their health was decreased (5). On average, high fructose corn syrup contributes to 16% of Americans daily caloric intake (Oliver 129). The top 20% of sweetener consumers intake 316 calories per day from high fructose corn syrup. Ever since it was introduced in 1970, obesity has increased across America (Bray et al 1). High fructose corn syrup impacts America’s obesity problem.

Government subsidies have been linked to America’s obesity problem by increasing the production of corn, which led to an increase in high fructose corn syrup use and a decrease in the cost of high calorie food.

Subsidies cause the price of corn, wheat, and soybeans to be artificially low, and these commodities produce unhealthy foods such as corn syrup, hydrogenated fats, and corn-fed meats. Of every one dollar spent on subsidies in the United States, healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables only receive 1/10 of the money, causing an artificially large price gap between healthy and unhealthy foods. (Fields 821)
Therefore, healthy foods have become much more expensive than artificial foods.

When government subsidies were introduced in 1970, people began to eat cheaper foods. People who have low income levels spend their money on these cheap foods, and usually do not have the luxury of caring as much about “quality” and healthiness as much as price. (Variyam)

These consumers buy cheap, easy to make, and tasty foods that contain cheap ingredients that subsidies support, whether it is high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated fat, or corn-fed meat.

The rise of obesity in America mirrors the rise of government subsidies on corn.

Some studies, however, argue that farm subsidies do not necessarily cause obesity. They argue that certain things have to occur before that happens. First, subsidies must actually support farm commodities that are key ingredients in fatty and unhealthy foods that cause obesity. Second, the fatty foods have to cost less than the healthy foods. Third, eating habits have to change based on these cheaper prices. They argue that even if you take into account those three things, each one has a small impact on the greater picture. There would be a small percentage change in the price that consumers have to pay. They conclude that the small price changes that subsidies cause don’t relate to food consumption patterns. (Alston, Sumner, and Vosti 2)

In the end, you might ask,“what actually caused the rise of obesity in America?” There are a few factors that have contributed to this increase, but one of them was the introduction of government subsidies on corn. Another agent that contributed to the surge of obesity . Total energy levels have increased, and overall the people of America have been increasing their portion sizes and eating more. Just as there was an increase in the rise of high fructose corn syrup, so too did total energy, carbohydrates, sugars, and fats intake increase (Harvey). The rise of efficiency in food production results in obesity in America. What used to be a once a year treat is now available year-round, and advances in food processing and packaging have introduced a multitude of ready to eat foods, available at any time and anywhere. In short, food has become more convenient. Between 1952 and 2003, the ratio of food prices to the price of all other goods has dropped 12% (Variyam). Also, Americans have been leading less-active and lazy lifestyles, and intaking more calories and energy than they can burn (Harvey). Although there may be many causes that contribute to the sudden rise in obesity over the past 40 years, this paper concludes that high fructose corn syrup has contributed to obesity. Obesity draws from multiple causes, not just one. Government agricultural subsidies cause an increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup in the United States, leading to higher obesity levels.