Figure 12.2. U.S. agricultural subsidies, 1995–2012. In 2011, the United States Public Interest Research Groups noted that “corn receives an astounding 29 percent of all U.S. agricultural subsidies, and wheat receives a further 12 percent.”7 Corn is processed into highly refined carbohydrates for consumption, including corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup and cornstarch. Wheat is almost never consumed as a whole berry but further processed into flour and consumed in a wide variety of foods. Unprocessed carbohydrates, on the other hand, receive virtually no financial aid. While mass production
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