$245 billion in agriculture subsidies to give you a cheap Twinkie; Cut these subsidies to Big Ag instead of Medicare
Today, one in four school-age kids in Wisconsin is overweight or obese, [1] and a Twinkie costs less to manufacture than a carrot costs to grow. [2] Coincidence? No. It's because over the last 15 years, $245 billion in agriculture subsidies have made some crops so cheap that products like high-fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean oil are some of the cheapest food byproducts to produce. [3] We need Congress to stand up for children's health by saying no to junk food subsidies. Email our senators today. There are a lot of people working to solve the obesity epidemic — from the first lady to popular writers like Michael Pollan. But as long as cheap junk food saturates the market, it's an uphill battle. And we're up against agribusiness giants Monsanto, Cargill and others who have used their clout in Congress — and $121 million for lobbyists — to preserve these billions in handouts. [4] But I'm confident we can win, because when I talk to people about this campaign, they're just outraged. If enough of us speak up, and our leaders know that we won't stand for it, we can get our nation's food policy headed in the right direction. Email our senators today and ask them to cut junk food subsidies. Sincerely, Bruce Speight WISPIRG Director P.S. Thanks for your support. Please feel free to share this message with your friends and family. [1] Childhood overweight and obesity trends, National Conference of State Legislators, 2007. [2] Michael Pollan, You are what you grow, New York Times, Apr. 27, 2007. [3] Farm subsidy database, Environmental Working Group. [4] Agribusiness influence and lobbying, OpenSecrets, 2010. ----------------------- From Food Politics: |
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