We Spend $280 Million Subsidizing the Sugar We Shouldn't Eat

The World Health Organization now says we should limit ourselves to 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day. Last year alone, U.S. taxpayers threw away $280 million on subsidies to sugar producers, and we're on pace to do it again this year.

The average American consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day - nearly four times the new recommended amount. You can exceed the daily recommendation with just one can of soda, one serving of margarita mix, one Starbucks sweetened latte with whipped cream, or one cup of yogurt. We'd be OK if we thought of those things as dessert to have once a day, but many Americans have blown through their daily allowance by the end of breakfast.

How did we get to a place where we're subsidizing an industry that's killing us? Now's a good time to flash back to the Mother Jones report on how sugar lobbyists convinced the government to hide the dangers of added sugar.