HHS Secretary-designate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s pledge to ban excessive fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and seed oils has reportedly raised considerations amongst corn farmers, significantly in key Trump-supporting areas like western Ohio.
Corn farming on this space is a serious trade, and a good portion of the crop is used to provide HFCS, a sweetener present in a variety of processed meals, experiences The Guardian.
Kennedy, chosen by President-elect Donald Trump to go the Division of Well being and Human Providers, has been vocal about his need to scale back using HFCS, which he hyperlinks to well being points like weight problems and diabetes.
With about 8% of U.S. corn devoted to HFCS manufacturing, farmers fear that any shift away from this market might drastically influence their incomes.
Specialists estimate that as much as 1.4 billion bushels of corn might be displaced if a ban is carried out, resulting in a possible drop in costs.
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Nevertheless, whereas considerations are actual, many farmers in Ohio’s Darke and Shelby counties, the place Trump enjoys sturdy assist, are adopting a “wait-and-see” strategy, the report provides.
The U.S. Corn Refiners Affiliation, which represents main agribusinesses, declined to touch upon the potential influence of Kennedy’s stance.
In the meantime, some farmers, like Dan Kelley from Illinois, are extra centered on exterior elements akin to world competitors and commerce tariffs than on Kennedy’s health-focused insurance policies, The Guardian provides.
Regardless of Kennedy’s outspoken views on meals reform, specialists don’t count on rapid adjustments to the HFCS market.
Though corn and seed crops are a major factor of U.S. agriculture, the demand for top fructose corn syrup has dropped by almost 50% since 1999.
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