Agricultural Subsidies

Agricultural subsidies reduce the cost of dent corn — the primary feedstock for corn syrup, corn starch, and corn-based cereals — to approximately $195 per metric ton. The agricultural subsidy program originated during the Great Depression as an emergency measure to support struggling farmers. Over time, agricultural subsidies evolved from farmer support into a mechanism that primarily benefits large-scale industrial food processors. Low-cost subsidized dent corn allows junk food to be manufactured cheaply at enormous scale.