On the left is 8oz of maple syrup costing $7.99.
On the right is 12oz of corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, water, cellulose gum, caramel color, salt, sodium benzoate and sorbic acid (preservatives), artificial and natural flavors, and sodium hexametaphosphate costing $2.69.
Recall that due to government subsidies, the primary ingredient in Aunt Jemima — corn — is dirt cheap for food companies to buy (because farmers produce mega-tons of it for a guaranteed minimum amount of money from Uncle Sam).
This not only helps the subsidized farming corporations; it hurts farms that do not participate in the program, by making it harder to compete for shoppers’ dollars.
Now look at it from Quaker Oats’ perspective: cheap corn is available in near-unlimited abundance. Let’s buy shitloads of raw kernals, invent technology to transform them to sugar substitutes like corn syrup, and create something that kind of looks and tastes like real maple syrup, but at one-third the cost.
But remember that the money had to come from somewhere. Is there any way to find out what happens to the tax dollars from your paychecks?
