King Corn - Documentary

Couple of days back, I had a chance to watch the documentary, King Corn thru NetFlix “watch instantly” option. BTW – this worked very well. There was no disturbance/buffering when I watched it; it also “remembers" where I left when I resumed viewing in a different machine.

This movie is produced by 2 college grads – Ian Cheney and Curtis Ellis - alarmed by the obesity epidemic and ubiquitous presence of corn in almost all processed foods, they move from Boston, MA to Greene, Iowa to grow and farm an acre of corn. During this period, they try to trace the corn from fields to the food system and come across many troubling questions about how and what we eat.

Though the farming aspect of the film is slightly boring, the film makers have captured the viewer’s interest by graphically presenting the data on where the “manufactured” corn goes – to sweetener industry for High fructose corn syrup, to feed lots for cows and chickens for fattening etc. America has moved from small farm owners to big corporation thanks to the technology improvement in farming practices. For example, the movie shows/says that an acre of land takes about just 18 minutes to plant corn seeds. Corn yield per acre in 1970 was 86 Bushels whereas in 2007 - 180. Technological improvements in the farm yield, is direct result of farm subsidies (introduced thru the farm bill (1973) by Earl Butz) which makes farming corn a profitable one. This farm bill was instrumental in making the food cheaper and resulting in more disposable income available to amercian families.

If you take McDonald's meal, you don't realize it when you eat it, but you're eating corn. Beef has been corn-fed, Soda is corn. Even the French fries. Half of the calories in the French fries come from the fat they're fried in, which is liable to be either corn or soy oil. Everything in your plate is corn. - Michael Pollan, UC Berkeley, in King Corn

The upside of the farm bill is - food became cheaper and made americans to spend just 10% of their income on food in 2009 (from 22% in 1949) - one of the lowest in the world. Industrialization of food also made food available throughout the year. Politically, a noble and a electorally powerful goal too.

The reductions in cost and year round availability of food - took its toll on human health. All animals (cows, pigs, chickens) are made to eat just corn, because corn is made cheaper thru subsidies. These animals are not evolved to eat grains 100% (including humans, of course, but that is for a different day).

To quote from natural news on the effects of forced grain feeding for animals, "Ruminant cattle, like cows and sheep, possess a special digestive system in which grasses are converted into digestible nutrients. Unlike humans who are unable to properly assimilate grasses and their nutrients, these animals are able to convert the plant cellulose into protein and fats. The result is a meat composition of roughly a 1:1 ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 fatty acids with omega-3 dominating slightly.

Grains, disturbs the cow's digestive system that, unless done gradually, can kill the animal. "Feedlot bloat", a term used to describe the buildup of trapped gas in the rumen of the animal, is the primary reason why feedlot cattle must be fed antibiotics and hormones in order to keep them alive. Their digestive systems are unable to process the immense amounts of starch in their feed, turning their pH from neutral to acid and causing them to contract a myriad of diseases".

The health impact for humans are also discussed in the movie; Whether the corn gets to sweetener industry for High Fructose Corn Syrup or it gets to the cows/chicken/pigs as food – everything comes to us in the form of milk/yogurt/jelly/soda/bread/meat – what we consume. And it changes the human metabolism considerably causing life style diseases including Type II Diabetes and heart disease.

All in all, worth watching documentary and take an informed decision on what to consume.