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FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NATIONAL CORN GROWERS ASSOCIATION
Curt Mercadante, CRA
202-331-1634
Mimi Ricketts, NCGA
636-733-9004
Corn
Refiners, National Corn Growers Challenge Assertions in Peter Jennings
Obesity Report
(WASHINGTON) December
10, 2003 – The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) and the National
Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today challenged assertions made in
the Peter Jennings/ABC News report “How to Get Fat Without Really
Trying,” which aired Dec. 8.
“This report
was little more than a subjective attack on the tens of thousands of
hard-working Americans in the corn growing and refining industries who
provide our families with the safest, most abundant and affordable food
supply in the world,” said CRA President Audrae Erickson. “In
addition to containing numerous factual errors about refined corn products,
this television program overlooked the importance of achieving a balance
between fitness and nutrition to combat the problems of overweight and
obesity.”
“Farmers have
long taken pride in their ability to provide a diverse, safe, and wholesome
food supply to the consumer,” said NCGA President Dee Vaughan.
“Our efficiency has enabled Americans to spend much less of their
disposable income for food than citizens of other nations. Instead of
being thanked for our contribution to the nation’s economy, we
now find ourselves being blamed for not only providing too much food
at affordable prices but also for the choices the consumer makes in
regards to diet and exercise. What has happened to taking personal responsibility
for choices made?”
Following is an
issue-by-issue response to the program by CRA and NCGA:
- The program
asserts government agriculture programs result in low commodity prices,
which translates into “cheap” food prices and, thus, an
overweight population.
The assertion that food is too inexpensive would most likely draw
sharp disagreement from the average American family of four whose
two parents both work full-time jobs to afford a mortgage, car payment(s),
insurance, education, clothing, personal necessities and grocery bills.
It is hard to fathom how that hard-working family would benefit from
an increase in food prices. In fact, such an increased economic burden
may sharply augment the need for longer work hours, thus decreasing
the amount of time the average American has available to engage in
physical exercise – a necessary component to resolving America’s
obesity problem.
Furthermore, the program’s discussion of “overproduction”
lacked a basic understanding of economics and modern farming practices.
Under current farm support programs, the government has actually restored
fiscal discipline by limiting economic assistance to producers when
aid is most needed. Direct and countercyclical payments are now tied
to past production history and planting flexibility and limit incentives
for producers to overproduce.
Contrary to claims that farm supports distort markets and planting
decisions, analysis by the Food and Agriculture Policy Research Institute
concludes there are "relatively minor impacts on current U.S.
commodity production, agricultural prices and world trade" because
two- thirds of the additional payments are not linked to current levels
of production.
- The program
insinuates that increased consumption of high fructose corn syrup
(HFCS) over sugar directly contributes to America’s rising obesity
rates.
HFCS consumption has increased during the past two decades while there
has been a concurrent decrease in sugar consumption during that same
time period. This would not contribute to rising obesity rates, however,
because there is very little difference between HFCS and sugar.
Both HFCS and sugar are composed of about equal parts fructose and
glucose, both contain 4 calories per gram, and both contain about
an equal amount of sweetness. In fact, according to Guy H. Johnson,
Ph.D., of Johnson Nutrition Solutions, LLC, "Once absorbed, the
body has no way of knowing whether a molecule of fructose came from
sucrose, HFCS, honey or fruit. Since the proportion of glucose and
fructose in HFCS and sucrose are similar, these two sweeteners are
virtually indistinguishable by the body."
- The program
overlooks the importance of achieving a balance between fitness and
nutrition in favor of engaging in a ‘good food/bad food’
debate.
America’s
obesity problem is a complex issue that can be traced to numerous
factors, the most important of which are a major lack of physical
activity concurrent with a large increase in daily consumption of
calories.
"Physical
activity and eating prudently are both essential to weight control,"
said Dr. David L. Katz, director of the Prevention Research Center
at the Yale University School of Medicine, in a recent news interview.
"The reason we're getting fat is on both sides of the energy
balance equation: We're eating too much and doing too little. That
is the answer."
According to
the American Dietetic Association, ‘Excess body fat (obesity)
arises from the energy imbalance caused by taking in too much energy
and using too little ... Obesity is a complex problem and its cause
cannot be simply attributed to any one component of the food supply.’
While choosing
to engage in the ‘good food/bad food debate,’ the program
overlooked some very important statistics that have accompanied
the rise in overweight and obesity in this country:
- Between 1977
and 1995, individual caloric intake increased by almost 200 calories
per day, from 1,876 calories to 2,043 calories. Theoretically,
consuming an extra 100 calories a day for a year can lead to a
gain of 10 pounds.
- At the same
time Americans are consuming more calories, they have become physically
inactive. According to the President’s Council on Physical
Fitness and Sports, nearly half (four in 10) of all American adults
engage in no daily physical activity. Only about one-half of U.S.
young people (ages 12-21 years) regularly participate in vigorous
physical activity, and one-fourth reported no vigorous physical
activity at all. On the flip side, one-quarter of U.S. children
spend four hours or more watching television daily.
In other words,
too much of any food or nutrient can have negative effects on the human
body. The best way for Americans to combat obesity is to substantially
increase physical activity while enjoying balanced diets and moderate
consumption of all foods and beverages.”
For more information
on high fructose corn syrup, agriculture subsidies and corn, please
visit the CRA web site at http://www.corn.org
and NCGA at http://www.ncga.com
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The National Corn
Growers Association mission is to create and increase opportunities
for corn growers in a changing world and to enhance corn’s profitability
and usage. NCGA represents more than 33,000 members, 25 affiliated state
corn grower organizations and hundreds of thousands of growers who contribute
to state checkoff programs.
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