Subsidies Affect Health

A study conducted by the Institute of Medicine found that government spending for agricultural subsidies has a direct effect on public health. Sixty-three percent of agricultural subsidies go to the meat and dairy industries, 15 percent go to sugar, alcohol, starch, and oil, and less than one percent go to fruits and vegetables. Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine President Neal Barnard points out that the most highly subsidized foods are those that also contribute the most to cardiovascular disease, which cost the US $273 billion dollars in 2010.