The Corn Mafia
How corn farmers, big agribusinesses, commodity traders and politicians use money, power, muscle and influence to circumvent laws, skew trade in their favor and control Americans’ health and diets.
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Fifteen years ago, corn farmers, agricultural businesses, commodity traders, lobbyists and politicians all got together and decided on a new path for corn. Their goal? To use their money, power, muscle and influence to turn corn into a staple of the American economy. Call them the Corn Mafia. And I do not use the word “mafia” lightly.
Their strategy was fourfold:
Undermine the concept that corn is bad for you through a series of misinformation and marketing tactics and reinforce corn as the symbol and staple of America.
Attack corn’s rivals, by pouring money to back government-based sanctions, subsidies and tariffs
Rewrite health history, positioning corn and its byproducts as a healthy alternative. Do this by funding health research that backed corn’s views and by funding doctors and clinics who advocate corn.
Turn the corn mafia into one of the most powerful and well-funded lobbies, and make sure any politicians who govern in the corn belt are funded by corn and are elected to office on the local, state and federal level.
In carrying out these strategies, the Corn Mafia bribed politicians, poisoned people and wildlife and caused cancer in thousands of people. It rewrote legislative districting, created and encouraged the mythical “gluten-free diet,” and eliminated rivals like sugar, rice and wheat. It also overturned U.S. trade policies to promote the spread of corn products in other countries, and financed and developed the use of ethanol. Then, the Corn Mafia took advantage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and supply chain disruptions to manipulate the price of corn.
The Corn Mafia did all of that with the blessing of the American electorate and right under the noses of Americans who were either too blind to see what was going on or too vain and selfish – and patriotic – to admit it. It was a well-orchestrated, calculated, vicious campaign, the likes of which America hasn’t seen since similar industries like oil, rubber and the banana robber barons beforehand successfully elevated their products to America’s forefront.
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