9 Shocking Facts About the Food Industry

SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT THE FOOD INDUSTAY The U.S. grows more corn than any other country on Earth. That's a good thing, right? Well...depends on how you look at it. Modern farming techniques and massive government subsidies have turned corn into an incredibly productive - and incredibly cheap – crop. But those innocent-looking yellow ears are a big reason why the American diet has gotten worse and American waistlines have gotten larger over the past half century. <1% 90 Million Acres But less than 1 percent is sweet corn that people actually eat. of corn are produced each year in the U.S.. The rest is used as livestock feed or processed into common ingredients like high-fructose corn syrup, a low-cost sweetener. The result? Bad food has gotten cheaper, while healthy food has gotten more expensive. COAN INDUSTAY AND CHEAP FOOD 33% 40% $50 BILLION How far the price of soda How far the price of How much the U.S. has has goner down fruit has gone up pumped into the COrn over the past 30 years. over the past 3o years. industry over the past decade. $1 BUYS YOU 1,200 875 250 170 1,200 calories of POTATO CHIPS 875 calories of SODA 250 calories of VEGETABLES 170 calories of FRUIT TAKE ACTION LEARN HOW TO DEMAND A BETTER FOOD SYSTEM AT TAKEPART.COM/FOOD SOURCES: National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, Time, Food Inc., Food & Water Watch, Humane Society of the United States, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Take Part INFOGRAPHIC DESIGN BY COLUMN FIVE 5dIHI