Kennedy's War on Corn Syrup Brings a Health Crusade to Trump Country

[Zorro]

The Archer Daniels Midland wet mill on the outskirts of Decatur, Ill., rises like an industrial behemoth from the frozen, harvested cornfields of Central Illinois. Steam billowed in the 20-degree cold last week, as workers turned raw corn into sweet, ubiquitous high-fructose corn syrup. Three miles away, a Primient mill, which sprawls across 400 acres divided by North 22nd Street, was doing the same.

To Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald J. Trump’s nominee for secretary of health and human services, this bedraggled city — set deep in Trump country — is the belly of the agribusiness beast, churning out products that he says poison America, rendering its children obese and its citizens chronically ill.

To the workers here, those mills — the largest in the world — are their livelihoods.

“It’d have a huge impact,” a 37-year-old electrician who would identify himself by only his first name, Tyler, said of Mr. Kennedy’s declaration of war on corn syrup and corn oil. He was grabbing lunch at Debbie’s Diner in the shadow of the mills. “That shuts down Central Illinois, if A.D.M. shuts down.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/10/us/politics/rfk-jr-corn-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gU4.9pI8.yKcSt9r3htJO&smid=url-share

[atreides1]

1. Well

If Kennedy can do it, there are going to be a lot of Trump voters left unemployed.

[MagickMuffin]

2. Corn syrup is not the culprit, however, high fructose corn syrup is bad

I stay away from it and I make sure my corn syrup is only corn syrup.


And all those people who voted for their savior is doing as he told them. Now their livelihoods could be at risk. Who knew!?!

[DeepWinter]

12. Corn syrup is trash

I'll give him that.

[Prairie Gates]

3. Oh well

It's what the people voted for. There was never any mystery that Trump would put Kennedy in a position to do this. Trump won almost 60% of the vote in Macon County.

Enjoy!

[Jit423]

4. I don't like RFK Jr. at all, but he is correct on a few things. Corn syrup is one.

He doesn't realize that most of the people he will offend by his policy proposals are MAGAs living in deep red areas of the country AND Obamacare haters (who may have grudgingly signed up). They are probably among the sickest citizens but thrive on Federal farm subsidies too. So many Trump-2025 policies and players will be in direct opposition to the dreams and desires of his MAGA base. But somehow it will all be explained away by finding a way to blame those damn liberal Democrats, immigrants, and black people.

[MayReasonRule]

5. With The Exception Of Their Organic Products Archer Daniels Midland Is A Shit Company Churning Out Shit Products

I never knowingly purchase any of their products.

I shop exceptionally carefully for our household.

It is truly unfortunate that an organization of this magnitude has inflicted such a deleterious effect on the health of our nation.

Kennedy is a fascist shit.
Fuck Kennedy.

[berksdem]

6. This is what they voted for...

so be it.

[TexLaProgressive]

7. That headline is very wrong.

Corn syrup is not high fructose corn syrup. Corn syrup is nearly 100% glucose while HFCS is somr of the glucose in corn syrup bring modified into fructose. The ration in foods is usually 40% fructose to 60% glucose. Cane and beet sugar (sucrose) is 50:50.

It is the same kind of laziness of not being specific when using the word diabetes, which describes the common symptom of 7 different diseases. Diabetes means siphon, because when the 4 diseases of diabetes insipidus and the 3 main types of diabetes mellitus are uncontrolled there is excessive thirst and urination.

[Deep State Witch]

8. The Problem With Bobby Brainworm

Is that he has a couple of good ideas. He starts to make a lot of sense. Then he takes the express lane down to crazytown.

[Blue_Roses]

9. Yep

Exactly right.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Silly

With fructose being about 1¼ times sweeter than sucrose, one of the industrial drivers was to use less of it to get the same overall sweetness.
As table sugar is 50% fructose (it's a disaccharide, with a dextrose & a fructose connected by an ether linkage).
So, HFCS isn't adding that much more fructose to the body than if sucrose were used.
The problem is overconsumption of sugar!
Yes, there are metabolic pathway differences between sucrose & fructose, but keeping sugar content moderated is more important than focusing on one type of sugar over another.

[GaYellowDawg]

11. Weren't they the ones shrieking "nanny state!!" when NYC

tried to impose size limits on soft drinks because of health issues?

But when Dear Leader or one of his acolytes does something similar, they're all in.

No, not a cult at all.

[keep_left]

13. Yep. Sarah Palin even made this a campaign issue...

...with her infamous onstage Big Gulp antics. By the way, that Big Gulp of hers has to be at least a quart--so about three 12-ounce cans of soda.

https://democraticunderground.com/100219729247#post23