Corn, glorious corn! We have all heard about its role in biofuel as being the main agent in the production of ethanol, but let’s go back a few thousand years to the time of the Aztec people. No one has really been able to pinpoint the origin of corn. Anthropologists and scientists have only identified sister plants that have similar qualities of corn, but they can germinate without being cultivated. In fact, corn needs humans in order to survive. The Aztec people miraculously learned to cultivate this wonder food. On top of learning how to plant it, they also realized that upon when one ingests corn with legumes it forms a perfect protein. Because of its astounding properties, corn has become an integral part of the diet in Latin America, specifically in the Central American countries. Its nutritional qualities make it one of the most important grains produced and shipped to poor states in need of food and it is used as feed to raise to healthy, strong livestock.

It just so happens that, on top of being tasty, delicious and nutritious, corn is also the major ingredient used to produce ethanol, also known as ethyl alcohol. This form of grain alcohol, very similar to drinking alcohol, can be distilled as anhydrous ethanol and combined with gasoline. As a clean-burning, renewable fuel, anhydrous ethanol is believed by most to be the quick remedy to the oil crisis. America and Brazil, two of the top consumers of fossil fuels, contributed to 89% of ethanol production in 2008. At first, anhydrous ethanol received a lot of criticism for the effect that it could have on grain production and sales, but it seems to have snuck in under the radar. Don’t believe me? Check the pump next time you are there. In various gas stations locally, as well as across the nation, there is a little, tiny label somewhere near the pump that states “10% ethanol.” You may have also noticed that your trips to get gas have increased. This is because gas mileage is generally lower with the gasoline/ethanol combo due to the fact the ethanol naturally burns quicker, so you go through gas faster.

Corn is not just showing up in our fuel. It is also the staple ingredient for many processed food products that include high fructose corn syrup, such as most fast food products, soda, juices, etc. During an economic downturn, much like the one we are currently in, these food products are cheap and consumption increases. So, corn seems like a miracle food. We can use it in fuel, we use it for food, and it makes food inexpensive. Right?

Wrong. The problem with corn is that it is almost too perfect. So perfect, in fact, that government has subsidized it. This makes corn production cheaper for agribusiness here in the U.S. This produces a waterfall effect, making products made from corn cheaper, i.e. ethanol and products including high fructose corn syrup. (Hence the reason why fast food is so cheap!) Not only does this affect our national economy, but it is also having a huge effect on Central America.

Remember the Aztecs? Their historical influence on Central America has left everyone hungry for tortillas de maiz. Corn tortillas are the staple of the diet in most homes in Central America. The poor and rich alike consume tortillas, but corn is also the main ingredient in something called atoli. It is an important part of the diet of infants because it is akin to the farina wheat cereal that we have in the United States. In an area where poverty and malnutrition is high, atoli is cheap and easily digested by infants and toddlers. These products have recently become more expensive not just because inflation has raised the price, but because subsidized corn in the United States has made corn in Latin America more expensive. There is a glut of corn on the Latin American market because the cheap corn prices here in the United States do not allow foreigners to compete in the market. Basic knowledge of supply and demand teaches us that they have an increased supply of corn, thus, prices go up, making all the prices of things made from corn go up, too! Not only are these nations impoverished, but now they cannot even afford something that is so integral to their diets.

Worse, here in the U.S., those that are benefitting from the production of ethanol are lobbying the government to change the farm bill so they actually earn more profit; not to mention the fact that they also want to raise the ethanol/gasoline combo to 15% ethanol instead of the current 10%. How do we change this? Boycott corn! Pay more attention to the food you eat. Chances are you will probably lose a couple of pounds if you stop eating products made from high fructose corn syrup. While you are checking out the nutrition facts, read the ingredients list, and don’t buy it if it has high fructose corn syrup. Also, pay more attention at the pump. Next time you go get gas, check for the tiny sign (and trust me, it usually is pretty small) that says “includes 10% ethanol.” There is a gas station on Green Ridge Street that does not mix gas with ethanol. Also, some Sonoco stations do use ethanol and some do not; it varies depending on the owner. Either way, pay more attention to the uses of corn and how it affects your every day life.