The statement is saying that the US Department of Agriculture values chicken nuggets and Tater Tots over healthful fresh foods in school cafeterias because the later lacks sufficient calories while the former provides ample. The article argues that this trend is occurring because the USDA, which is in charge or forming and enforcing federal laws about agriculture and food, is rigged by commercial interests to promote not what’s healthy, but what’s cheap to make and hits the calorie requirements the fastest.
These commercial interests are represented in the farm bill, which subsidizes corn, soybean, and wheat while doing almost nothing to support the growth of fresh produce. That’s because commercial interests lobby for subsidies for corn and soybean which can be modified into tasty sugars and fats, which attracts consumers, thus allowing the commercial interests to gain profit in power, which leads to more lobbying and greater subsidies in their interest. This positive feedback cycle is at the root of the obesity problem, and explains why chicken nuggets and Tater Tots (both including modified corn and soy in their …show more content…
While I opted for healthier alternatives, I would see kids everyday in the cafeteria chowing down on processed Tots and chicken burgers. I’ve always been health conscious about what I eat, always checking the nutrition label for sugar and salt content, and scanning the ingredients for things like high fructose corn syrup. Because I was aware of the far reaching effects of the farm bill before reading this article, reading this piece only reminded me how much of an issue we have when it comes to the food industry. It really bothers me how little attention the the majority of people pay to their food, and how there’s a prevalent attitude to accept the food industry as something that just exists, that we cannot