Corn

Industrial/Corn

Frank William Brown III

Advanced Composition, English 135

04/19/2012

Industrial/Corn

With new ways that corn is being grown and the different products derived from it, the worst of them is High-Fructose Corn Syrup. The three main problems found with HFCS are that, first; it has caused an epidemic of obesity in America that is now beginning to spread all over the world. Secondly; it is causing a whole host of health problems such as causing Type 2 diabetes in young children, increasing cancer and significantly raising the triglycerides in the blood and promoting fat storage. And last but not least the methods used to grow and increase the production of corn are polluting the air we breathe and the water we drink.

Industrial corn is something that those who live in Indiana find everywhere that the eye can see. What tends to spoil the panoramic view of rows of corn is the smell of all the chemicals that are being used. These chemicals, which include fertilizers and pesticides, are added to help in the corn’s growth and to prevent or discourage insects and wild animals, especially deer.

Corn is the largest crop that is grown in this area, but none of it is for human consumption. Instead it is used primarily to feed cows, pigs and chickens that eventually end up on the world’s dinner tables. The chemicals that are used to help it grow strong and sturdy are also detrimental to human’s health. It shows up in our drinking water, as well as water used for irrigation of crops and all areas of food preparation.

Then of course there is the fact that corn is the number one sweetener in the world, in the form of HFCS, or high fructose corn syrup. This type of sweetener is in just about everything that we eat or drink. It is included in so many prepared foods on the market that we would never think it would be in such as ketchup, mustard and yes, even that mac and cheese we all love so much. Because of HFCS, the...