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Comment by gadflyinyoureye | Hacker News Reader

75% of the FDA’s budget comes from the pharmaceutical industry. I assume that part of that is the food industry. Also the USDA is largely outsourced to the industries it’s supposed to manage. The US is bought and paid for by industries that donate to the Democrats and Republicans. Welcome to America.

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USDA is more intended to support and promote agriculture and agribusiness than to manage the industry. Food assistance programs are dual duty --- help with poverty, but also ensure a base level of demand for agriculture products.

Complaining that the USDA is good for business is like complaining if the Veterans Administration provides good benefits for Veterans.

That said, I wouldn't put agribusiness in charge of the food groups, but that's what we've got.

I mean that’s everywhere though the rich rule the world even in supposedly communist China or socialist Tanzania that won’t change anytime soon

My confusion is what the poison is? Is it cholesterol or something? My cousin said something about chemical reactions when the potatoes are deep fried creating a thing but I’m the dumb one in my family so I didn’t understand.

We allow things like high fructose corn syrup in greater quantities than the EU. Our wheat has more gluten which is am inflammatory substance. We have dyes that are known carcinogens. We allow higher levels of heavy metals than the EU. We push highly processed foods as the norm. Basically we’ve designed our diets around ease of consumption and profits.

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