Free Critical Thinking About Critical Analysis Of King Corn" How Food Is Processed And How It Affects US And Our Bodies

King Corn ideally focuses on the popularity of consumer corn in America. Globally, the US has been established to be the top per capita consumer of corn. This is because much of corn derivatives and fructose corn syrup are involved in virtually all processed foods found in the American food market (Pollan 83).Corn as a grain has been linked to unhealthy effects particularly most degenerative diseases such as diabetes, obesity and even premature aging. With much corn in consumption genetically engineered, the crop ultimately affects human health due to presence of toxins that act as pesticides. Corn may be a popular food crop but how it is processed and its effects leave much to be desired.
The awareness about corn and its relevance in the United States was first captured in the documentary King Corn that was made by two friends, Curt Ellis and Ian Cheney, in search of questions regarding the product. The two set out to critically comprehend how corn is grown and how it is eventually assimilated to much of the American diet. The documentary highlights the dark story of corn that many Americans are unaware of. Much of the American corn, as highlighted in the documentary, due to technological advancement and the increasing population has seen the adoption of genetical engineering. The engineering has been behind what is currently referred to as “field corn” which is nothing close to corn meant for direct human consumption but a crop created to contain starch as a key ingredient for industrial processing. The creation of the corn grain through genetical engineering further accentuates the fact that the corn cannot quantified and qualified as food but rather a raw material for food manufacturers. The technology has also been linked to involvement of the corporate world in the farming of corn as well as the cost-benefits as a result of government subsidies.
It is also important to note that the corn processing occurs indirectly in form of cattle feed. Due to its constant abundance in the US, it is used to create energy-field cattle food. The corn apparently in the cattle feed manages to accelerate the metabolism and growth of cows as well as their fattening. The corn does not provide any nutritional value to the cow and thus leading to the end product being “fat disguised as meat” (Pollan). It is this meat that is used by many fast food industries in the United States and ends up in many of the American dinner tables. The cheap fat and unhealthy meat can been evidently linked to the presence of cheap and also unstarched corn. With most Fast-food franchises using this meat in their products such as hamburgers, much of these saturated fats are unknowingly consumed by many Americans Many ethanol production companies have also joined the fray of processing corn by industrially turning it to vitamin C which finds its way to the American population’s diet as an additive in food products.
The processing of corn further is directly observed in the creation of high fructose syrup. The fructose syrup has been subject of much debate in the media with statistics pointing to an increase in the uptake of high fructose corn syrup annually in America. It is estimated that the average American increased consumption of high fructose syrup by 60 pounds. Since 1980’ many of the food and beverage industries have opted from sugar to corn syrup or corn sweeteners (Nielsen 112). The snack makers have also been linked to this development which has seen sugar a costly additive being substituted by corn syrup as a cheap alternative. The soda companies too have not been left behind in this switch. This has translated to nearly 10 percent of the consumed calories in much of the American diet to be linked directly to corn syrup or corn sweeteners. This figure is projected to be greater in children at 20pecent in calories consumed.
The strategy of keeping corn in business has ideally turned America into a corn eaters' country. King corn, in this case, symbolizes how pivotal the crop has become in the sacrificing the individual wellbeing as well as the environment by growing and consuming much of it. It has had notable effects with its impact being felt mostly in the fast food market that is highly linked to lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity et cetera. Michael Pollan in his book, The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals cites that corn, due to its grainy nature breaks down to sugar in a rapid manner which enhances one’s levels of insulin resistance if consumed on a regular basis. It is this increased insulin levels that bring about majority of the degenerative and lifestyle diseases such as obesity, premature ageing and diabetes. Another corn derivative, corn fructose has also been established by the University of Michigan to be behind the elevation of triglyceride levels which is highly linked to heart problems and obesity. The consumption of meat from cornified cattle has also been highlighted to increase levels of saturated fats in the diet as compared to grass-fed cattle meat.
In conclusion, the analysis of King Corn manages to bring out the dark aspects of corn as a staple crop in America. Its processing, both directly and indirectly, has been attributed to its ease in availability. The availability in this case can be said to be supported to the fact that the Federal government has for a long time offered great subsidies to corn farmers. This has skewed the market which currently has an excess supply of corn. With much of the farming having cost-benefits, much corn has found its way in many industries, particularly the food industry. Genuine cane sugar, which was a vital ingredient in most foodstuffs and beverages, has been replaced by corn sweetener. Ultimately, this has impacted on the prices of sweetened commodities by a great percentage. This has led to detrimental effects on both the American population and its immediate environment.
Much of the population has been affected by chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes and obesity. The environment too has suffered due to the prevalence of corn. The increased use of genetical engineering has disrupted the ecological system. Thus there is need to cap the production of corn in order to save the public and the environment from its detrimental attributes. This will not only be beneficial to the public but also to the government as the cost of managing chronic degenerating diseases will come down in the long run. It will also reduce funds focused on the conservation of environment as a result of embracing organic crops rather than GMOs.

Works Cited

Nielsen, L M. The Biography of Corn. New York: Crabtree Pub. Co, 2007. Print.
Pollan, Michael. The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. Princeton: Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic, 2008. Print.
Pollan, Michael. "When a Crop Becomes King." The New York Times [New York] 19 July 2002: n. pag. Web.