Children today are three times more likely to be obese than three decades ago, while more than one-third of U.S. adults are obese. These obesity rates are directly tied to the number of people dying every year from heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer. While the U.S. government would have you think they have your best health interests in mind, there is evidence to the contrary. Not only do they support our growing dependence on dangerous prescription drugs and the proliferation of genetically modified crops, but they also fund the junk food industry through subsidies.

A recent report from U.S. PIRG (a federation of state Public Interest Research Groups) indicates that since 1995, the U.S. government has spent more than $19 billion subsidizing corn and soy junk food ingredients.

That report, “Apples to Twinkies 2013: Comparing Taxpayer Subsidies for Fresh Produce and Junk Food”, says that the government funds more junk food than fresh fruits and vegetables. Though the government spends an estimated $292.5 billion on all agricultural subsidies since 1995, only $689 million went to apples (the “only fruit or vegetable to receive significant federal subsidies”). $689 million for apples compared with $19.2 billion for junk food is a serious disparity.

To be clear, the report doesn’t lump all corn subsidies together, that would be unfair and not a realistic picture of what went toward junk food. Instead, the PIRG looked at what percentage of corn, for instance, went towards corn starch and sweeteners. These junk food ingredients accounted for $8.1 billion of the $84.4 billion in corn subsidies. Of all the corn produced, 9.6% ended up in junk food as thickeners or sweeteners.