The other day, I watched the 2008 documentary Food Inc. And although it contains quite a few messages I would not subscribe to, it brilliantly points out the long-term consequences of misguided politics. In the United States, huge corn subsidies have led to an incredible surplus of corn which the industry now uses for all kinds of products (see TIME article). The distortion in prices, however, causes various kinds of diseases.
Here is the movie’s trailer:
Why is it that you can buy a double cheeseburger for 99 cents but not a bunch of broccoli?
The bad food is cheaper because it’s heavily subsidized. And as a result, income is the best predictor for obesity.
Swiss Economist 