GRAPHIC: Most American corn isn’t destined for the dinner table

Less than 2% of the corn grown in American fields is directly consumed in cereal and other food products, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Over the past decade, another 7% of U.S. corn has been turned into corn starch, high fructose corn syrup, glucose and dextrose, common ingredients in a variety of food products.

The vast majority is used as animal feed or in ethanol, the USDA data shows.

Exports, the third-largest destination for American corn, slowly increased since the 2012-13 market year.

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_{Top image: Corn harvest begins on an Illinois farm in late 2021. photo by Darrell Hoemann, Investigate Midwest}