As of the year 2023, Warren Buffett had a net worth of 109 billion dollars, making him one of the richest people in the world. His name is known all over the world. But, the manner in which he has accumulated his money has caused a few people to raise their eyebrows.
In 2015, New York Magazine published an article titled “Is the World’s Richest Man Created Mostly Out of Corn Syrup?” The article was making a reference to Warren Buffett and the investments he has made in the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) market.
Buffett’s affection for Canadian and American goods that are now laced with HFCS is well-known. When he was a boy growing up in the early 1900s, the foods he ate were prepared with natural, wholesome ingredients and did not include any GMOs or HFCS. But, as a result of his investing strategy with Berkshire Hathaway, a large percentage of his fortune is connected to the widespread use of corn syrup in the food chain.
The investing approach employed by Berkshire Hathaway consists of locating prosperous businesses and purchasing ever-increasing stakes in those businesses. It achieves this using a strategy known as vertical integration, in which it purchases significant holdings in the HFCS business at each level of manufacturing. This means that Berkshire Hathaway has an interest in the whole process, from the farm where genetically modified maize is cultivated to the firms that convert it into so-called “food.”
Moreover, Buffett’s family owns acreage on which they grow corn, and Berkshire Hathaway has a significant position in fossil fuel businesses such as Occidental Petroleum and Chevron, which provide energy for industrial agriculture and manufacture chemical inputs for farming. In addition, it is the owner of a business that manufactures grain storage silos for the purpose of selling corn, the largest railroad in the United States that transports grain and processed foods across the country, as well as a business that rents out commercial trailers, which is the other primary means of transportation for grains and processed foods.
Buffett’s investments in the HFCS industry and related companies have contributed to the artificial food inflation that is fuelled by the financial corruption of the billionaire class, of which Buffett is a member. While some may argue that Buffett’s investment strategy is simply good business sense, others point to the fact that Buffett’s investments have contributed to artificial food inflation. For example, Kraft Heinz’s quarterly sales grew 10 percent to $7.38 billion in the final quarter of 2022, exceeding Wall Street’s estimates.
Buffett has also taken income from genetically modified (GE) seed and pesticide behemoth Monsanto, as well as Archer Daniels Midland, which handles the chemical processing that transforms corn into HFCS. Moreover, he has financial interests in large food firms such as Coca-Cola and Kraft Heinz, both of which include high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in a variety of their offerings.
Buffett further maintains tight contacts with the groups that examine food safety, which assures that the “science” is always in favor of his investments. For example, Coca-Cola has strong ties to several medical organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), The Obesity Society (TOS), and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) (AAFP).
Buffett is hardly the only one who has profited billions of dollars off the chemical poisons such as HFCS. Bill Gates, a billionaire eugenicist, is also an investor in the vein of Warren Buffett, who has accumulated billions of dollars through similar investments. Gates is significantly more wealthy than Buffett, with a net worth of $133 billion in his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Berkshire Hathaway is the Gates Foundation’s largest stake.
In conclusion, Warren Buffett might not be formed completely from corn syrup, but his investments in the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) sector and firms associated with it have led to the spread of this hazardous chemical across the food chain. Artificial food inflation has been fostered by the financial corruption of the billionaire class, of which he is a member. This corruption has contributed to the ill-gotten fortunes of some of the wealthiest individuals in the world.