tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831031527159525359.post7175764044753314793..comments2014-07-09T03:27:52.437-07:00Comments on People and Resources:Water: How to get fat without really tryingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831031527159525359.post-37590712185356884732009-09-15T08:35:44.905-07:002009-09-15T08:35:44.905-07:00Our American agriculture should become more varied...Our American agriculture should become more varied than it is now. Sugar is a good example of a staple item that we should be producing in our own country, perhaps even locally if possible. However, this country doesn't have the ability though to offer enough diversity and still deliver food staples through only our own national production. Our population is just too enormous. So tariffs only make sense if they're placed on products that we grow in abundance on our own soil. Of course, if the only place we can get these products from is some country located thousands of miles away we should probably do without. Sorry Bananas!David Raimohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07231996102012624393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7831031527159525359.post-39970511830055442082009-09-07T19:12:07.797-07:002009-09-07T19:12:07.797-07:00In fact just after watching this video in class I ...In fact just after watching this video in class I was reminded of how badly natural sugar is losing in the battle over agricultural subsidies under the current agricultural policies when I saw this article in the Wall Street Journal: <br /><br />AUGUST 13, 2009<br />Food Firms Warn of Sugar Shortage<br /><br />http://online.wsj.com/article/SB125011957488227095.html<br /><br />Since natural sugar crops such as sugar cane receive so few subsidies it is very expansive to grow these crops domestically thus American food companies rely on importing these crops from other countries (since the cost of importing the sugar is cheaper than buying it domestically). However due to U.S import restrictions and current import quotas this has started to become a problem. Major food companies like Kraft Foods Inc., General Mills Inc., Hershey Co. and Mars Inc. have threatened to jack up consumer prices and lay off workers if the Agriculture Department doesn’t allow them to import more tariff-free sugar. Thus even when it comes to the natural sugar these companies do use (or need to use) in their products it is clear they are have problems getting the required amounts under the current government polices both with respect to importing and domestic agriculture. It is no wonder why these companies keep resorting to using corn based artificial sweeteners, replacing more and more of the natural sugar if the natural sugars are too expansive and harder to come by. If U.S farmers had more incentive to grow natural sugar and received more subsidies (just as they do with corn) then their prices for sugar would not be so high and food companies wouldn’t have to rely on imports and resort to the growing use of corn based artificial sweeteners. Right here in this article is a perfect example of how the government’s agriculture policies have a direct effect on the actions taken by the major food companies and how those actions can have a direct effect on consumer health FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE just as stated in the video How to get fat without really trying.230Fj933319https://www.blogger.com/profile/13981775901786145364noreply@blogger.com