Don’t Moo Around this Election Season! How the Farm Bill Affects You, Peanut Butter Prices, and Your Waistline.

By Kelly Sherman on June 13, 2012

No doubt about it; living the life of a college student can definitely be pleasurable. There are always events to go to, clubs to join, and new people to meet. Oh yeah, and you might even learn a thing or two during the four(ish) years you’re on campus. Being busy and living on a budget, however, can force students to make bad choices in their food consumption habits—-shhhh, this is no longer a secret. So, what is one to do in order to prevent the “freshman fifteen” epidemic from encroaching upon his/her mid-waist and thighs? Obvious answers are to: exercise (maybe join UIC’s running group after all), eat healthier meals (or at least choose the lesser evil of the fast food chains more often—Subway instead of McDonalds), and try to get more sleep (at least an average of six hours a night); yeah… sure…right.  At best a college student will be able to do two of these three things in tandem for eight or more consecutive semesters. The less obvious and more important answer to how a student can stay healthy: VOTE! … wait, HUH?

Who we vote for this coming 2012 election will determine a lot of things, even and especially including what we eat. The Farm Bill currently under amendment has changed its name many times and will also change the way US Congress spends money on food, how it’s distributed, and who consumes it (i.e. EVERYONE ALIVE).

We should all inspect the Farm Bill currently being amended in Congress this election season, question its feats and purpose, and pass the message along to those we know. Why you may ask? Is it because it’s being mainly sponsored and cosponsored by senators that abide in and around Illinois? Maybe. But mainly college students should care because it will affect the price of peanut butter which, as we all know, is an average college student’s main staple food item.  What?? Noooo! (Echo ensues). Yes, it’s true. The target prices for peanuts would be increased to $534 per ton if an amendment on the Farm Bill is passed.

Or you might say, “Ok, but I don’t even like peanuts and I’m allergic to them, so why should I care? And what do peanut prices have to do with my waistline anyway?” And I say, “Great questions!” – Even though they have irritatingly negative undertones.

Answer to the first question: Amendments added to the Farm Bill will also increase the prices of other foods, like rice. The Bill is also designed to help out specialty crop growers of fruit in order to help out the smaller farming businesses (the few that haven’t been overrun by corporate giants yet). And among many other things, the Farm Bill will also, “impact…energy, forestry, food stamps and school lunches”. So if you eat food, consume energy, and like trees (or at least consume their oxygen emissions) then the Farm Bill affects you.

How does this affect your waistline? To answer this, let’s partake in a brief deductive reasoning exercise.  Although peanuts are high in fat, it’s the good kind of fat (monounsaturated) and peanut butter also has a variety of other essential nutrients and benefits. Peanut butter is therefore a healthy food item when consumed in moderation (as with other food items). According to the National Peanut Board, it takes 540 peanuts to make a 12 OZ jar of peanut butter. If the price for peanuts increases, so will the price of making peanut butter. Studies show that college students consume a large amount of peanut butter. If the price of peanut butter increases then college students may not be able to buy peanut butter as often, which means that they will start to eat other food items more often. And if we aren’t able to buy the fruit grown by specialty crop growers, the substituted items for peanut butter will more than likely not be healthy either. Eating less healthier foods more often means a fuller waistline. Which ultimately means: McDonald’s anyone?

If you are one of the many who want healthy foods to be cheaper and more readily available, read about the Farm Bill and share its importance with others this election season.

For more information on why the Farm Bill matters and its history, click here.

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