A farmer harvests corn along southbound Interstate 35 in Iowa on Nov. 23, 2024. (Photo by Cami Koons/Iowa Capital Dispatch)
Corn, the nation’s largest crop, is produced for a variety of uses, including food for humans and animals, alcohol for fuel and exports to foreign countries. Almost all of those uses have increased over the last several years.
However, corn produced for high-fructose corn syrup has decreased by 21% over the past decade, dropping from 521 million bushels in 2010 to 410 million bushels last year.
High-fructose corn syrup is used in a variety of processed foods, including ketchup, soda and candy. It’s an important business for companies like Archer Daniels Midland, which operates the world’s largest corn syrup processing plant in Illinois.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, has long decried corn syrup as a “poison” leading to America’s high obesity rates. Kennedy wants to push companies away from high-fructose corn syrup.
A recent New York Times report highlighted Kennedy’s views and how they put him at odds with much of America’s corn belt, which has largely supported Trump.
While Kennedy aims to wean America off corn syrup, its production has already been declining, a trend the USDA attributes to consumers seeking alternatives to the product.
Other corn-based products have increased since 2010, including alcohol for beverages and animal feed.
This article first appeared on Investigate Midwest and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.