Corn Syrup Lobby Courts Mommybloggers, Gets Spanked

Jaelithe Judy
Care2

High fructose corn syrup, an inexpensive sweetener made from highly processed corn that has become an almost ubiquitous ingredient in packaged processed foods, has been getting some bad press of late.

Some scientists and food experts, including the well-regarded sustainable food advocate Marion Nestle, have argued that high fructose corn syrup is really no worse, nutritionally speaking, than traditional refined table sugar, which is certainly no health food. But mounting evidence suggests that subtle chemical differences between the two sweetners might cause HFCS to affect the body differently than regular sugar, in potentially harmful ways.

HCFS Links to Diabetes and Obesity

A 2007 Rutgers University study linked HFCS in soda to diabetes. There was the revelation in 2008 that some brands of HFCS contained traces of mercury. Then a Princeton study, published just this March, connected high fructose corn syrup consumption to obesity in rats.
As a result of all the bad publicity associated with these scientific findings, more than 50% of Americans now believe high fructose corn syrup may pose a health hazard. Sales of high fructose corn syrup have plummeted as manufacturers scramble to replace HFCS with familiar, old-fashioned table sugar.

So last month, the Corn Refiners Association, a trade organization that lobbies the U.S. government on behalf of corn processors, launched a campaign to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar.

The CRA issued a press release. They launched a corn sugar website. They contacted major media organizations. They sent a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, lobbying the government to allow HFCS to be listed on food labels as corn sugar.

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Corn syrup producers to change name to 'corn sugar' as awareness over health concerns grow

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Want Cane Sugar? Drink Mexican Coke

Jen Phillips
Mother Jones

If you haven't heard, there's a craze for Mexican Coke that's only getting stronger. The drink has more than 30,000 fans on Facebook, and demand is such that there's even a web site to help those looking for the sweet drink,WhereToFindMexicanCoke.com. Part of the appeal may be the drink's retro-style glass bottle, but many claim it just tastes better because it's sweetened with cane sugar: Coke in the US uses high-fructose corn syrup. So why must we import this delicious treat from south of the border, instead of getting it from our own American factories? This week,Consumerist tried to answer this question, but all Coca-Cola would tell them is that they don't plan on introducing a non-HFCS version of Coke in the US anytime soon because we already have a sugar-based version: Mexican Coke. Also, the rep claimed that in taste tests, Coca-Cola found that consumers detected "no perceptible taste difference" between HCFS Coke and cane Coke.

There are a few key reasons Coke should consider introducing a sugar cane-based US version, and not just because 89% of Consumerist readers said they'd buy it. Firstly, it would reduce the carbon emissions from shipping those heavy glass bottles all the way from Mexico. Glass is much heavier than aluminum (though readily recyclable) so trucking it any distance is a considerable hit to the environment. Secondly, Coca-Cola reps have repeatedly said that Mexican Coke is a taste of home for Mexican and Latino immigrants. If it's such a homestyle taste, why not capture that fast-growing market by making the same product in the US?

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RELATED ARTICLE:

Corn syrup producers to change name to 'corn sugar' as awareness over health concerns grow

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Live Superfoods It is time to Wake Up! You too, can join the "Global Political Awakening"!

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