If you want to see the birthplace of America’s ultraprocessed diet, take a drive through the upper Midwest in high summer. Before long, you'll be hypnotized by the shimmering green blanket of corn and soybeans that fuels our industrial food system. Radiating from their geographical and spiritual epicenter in Iowa, these two crops cover nearly two-thirds of U.S. cropland — an area equal to 1.7 Californias.
These crops are the raw materials the food industry transforms into the dizzying array of products that fill hundreds of millions of bellies every day. They provide feed for the livestock whose meat and dairy make fast-food chains and deli counters hum, and their derivatives provide a huge proportion of the fat, sweeteners, and other additives that make processed treats so hard to resist. All told, corn and soybean are the ultimate source for nearly half the calories the average American consumes each day.
