SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN reporting on new study that was conducted of fast food burgers .. The conclusion seems to be that the cows processed into meat are not being fed grass, but instead lots and lots of corn. Even more:

"And it isn't only cows that are eating corn. There is also evidence of a corn diet in chicken sandwiches, and even French fries get a good slathering of the fat that makes them so tasty from being fried in corn oil"

The SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN story summarizes that no health concerns have been raised related to the overabundance of corn (yet) but the environment has seen some less that positive affects with humans relying more on corn.. Ethanol use has been criticized in various quarters recently due to environmental problems and food shortage fears across the globe.. This part of the story struck me:

It's also hard on cows, whose stomachs are specially designed to break down the cellulose in grass, leading to an epidemic of antibiotic use. Also, humans may lose out on beneficial omega-3 fatty acids—important for development of the nervous system and heart health—when they consume corn-fed as opposed to grass-fed beef. "Instead of eating a predominantly whole grains, fruits and vegetables, we are diverting the grain supply to feeding the animals," Lawrence says, arguing for a diet that treats meat as a garnish rather than the main course and corn for human consumption rather than cows. "Corn-finished beef does add to what has become a preferred taste for the American palate. We've acquired that taste at our own peril."

A video worth watching from the summer of '08

PHOTO ABOVE: Cattle hang in a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Montevideo, Monday, Oct. 27, 2008. The price of beef in Uruguay's domestic market fell 10% as a consequence of the fall in beef exports due to the world economic crisis, according to local news reports. Russia and the E.U. suspended shipments. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico)

Labels: chemicals, farming, Food, Health