High Fructose Corn Syrup - Two reasons to avoid this Corn Sugar

The move is on to further muddy the waters pertaining to High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). The goal is to convince or confuse consumers into thinking that HFCS is like sugar by changing its name to Corn Sugar. While there are issues that surround processed sugar, HFCS or Corn Sugar presents a wider problem. The primary concern is how HFCS is metabolized by the body and the hidden, and not-so-hidden, genetic modifications it undergoes.

HFCS is comprised of approximately 55% fructose. This fructose is unbound meaning it is not attached to any other molecule. In nature fructose would be bound most likely to glucose. Unbound fructose is immediately taken up by the liver for metabolizing when HFCS is consumed. This initiates a metabolic nightmare. The liver is forced to work hard at metabolizing the instantly present fructose. Often times the liver has to ignore or inefficiently handle other metabolic duties such as the breaking down of fatty acids. In addition, the liver may be unable to metabolize all of the fructose. All of this leads to a fatty liver and increased fat storage in the body.

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Big Food’s Message to the EPA: Don’t Mess With Corn

If anyone ever needed further evidence that corn is the most important and widely used element in the food supply, here it is: On Tuesday, no fewer than nine food industry groups banded together (along with oil companies) to sue the EPA over its decision last month to boost the allowable amount of corn-based ethanol in vehicle fuel from 10% to 20%.

Corn is a sacred crop for food companies, because without it there would be a whole lot less processed food and meat would probably get a whole lot more expensive. Corn-based ingredients like modified corn starch, maltodextrin, propylene glycol, glycerin, citric acid, xantham gum and, of course, high fructose corn syrup are the building blocks of products ranging from breakfast cereal and salad dressing to chicken nuggets and ice cream.

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High-fructose corn syrup in soda has much more fructose than advertised, study finds

But some of the stuff they put in soda isn't HFCS, it's RHFCS — really high-fructose corn syrup.

High-fructose corn syrup is often singled out as Food Enemy No. 1 because it has become ubiquitous in processed foods during about the past 30 years — a period that coincides with a steep rise in obesity. One of the primary sources of high-fructose corn syrup in the American diet is soda. In fact, many public health advocates refer to soda as "liquid candy."

High-fructose corn syrup in soda has much more fructose than advertised, study finds
That nickname is more apt than advocates realized, according to a study published online in October by the journal Obesity.

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PARTNER SERIES—THE TRUE COSTS OF SWITCHING FROM HFCS TO SUGAR

Enough Said: "Content developed and sponsored by: Corn Naturally". The bastards are running scared when they are putting together dog and pony shows like this.

How much can switching sweetening ingredients (such as a switch from high fructose corn syrup to granulated or liquid sugar) impact costs for food and beverage manufacturers? And does switching sweeteners pay off at retail? The increased ingredient costs are only the beginning. This one-hour Webinar will help marketers and product formulators consider implications before making decisions that could impact the bottom line.

The Webinar will examine formulary, labor and sanitation expenses, as well as capital expenditures and the possible costs associated with the environmental implications of switching sweeteners. It will also explore sales data from Nielsen, looking specifically at brands that have reformulated from HFCS to sugar and comparing pre- and post-reformulation data. A live question-and-answer session will follow.

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Study: Hey, Hipsters, Mexican Coke Might Be a Myth

The failure to find sucrose in Mexican Coca-Cola could be [due] to two reasons: the Coke is old and the sucrose "inverted" (split into glucose and fructose), or the company used HFCS instead of sucrose.

A study released on Oct. 27 in the journal Obesity looked at the chemical structure of sweeteners in Coca-Cola, Pepsi and other sodas. There were a lot of surprising findings, but for now, here's one result that cut close to my Brooklyn-foodie fad-loving bones: Mexican Coke, which people thought to be superior to American Coke because it uses real cane sugar in place of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), could be a myth.

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Corn processors regain 'whip hand' in price talks

The power in the annual round of talks to set prices of corn sweeteners has returned to processors such as Archer Daniels Midland and Tate & Lyle, leaving buyers on track for price rises of up to 25%.

The proportion of plant capacity in use among makers of high fructose corn syrup looks set to tick up to 85%, thanks to resilient US sales of the sweetener and a doubling in exports to Mexico, Credit Suisse said.

This extra usage means that "the whip hand in annual negotiations swings towards the sellers", the bank said, adding that the outcome of the talks "will be fine" for corn processors.

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Mommy Bloggers vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup: The Sticky Truth

I'm not one to press people on issues that I believe in and I don't really consider myself a controversial writer. And while I am opinionated, I don't throw it down your throat. However, when something someone does is just wrong and it affects my family and friends – that's when I feel I have to get involved.

Recently, I had a guest post on MommyBKnowsBest about the dangers of high fructose corn syrup and the awful things that it can do (and does) to our bodies. Last month at the Type-A-Mom blogger's conference the Corn Refiners Association launched their new name, "Corn Sugar"...along with some blogger gifts, er, bribes.

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Coca Cola: We Don't Need To Make A Cane Sugar Version Because You Already Have Mexican Coke

A few weeks back, we asked readers if they would buy a cane sugar version of Coca Cola and an overwhelming 89% of you said "yes." So Consumerist asked Coke if the company had any plans to introduce non-HFCS version -- a la Pepsi Throwback -- on a national scale. The answer -- no, because we already have Mexican Coke.

"We already provide a Coca-Cola with sugar in the U.S. - is Coca-Cola from Mexico and it's available year round," Greg Galvez, vice president and general manager of Importation and Commercialization, Coca-Cola North America, told Consumerist.

Galvez appears to contradict himself on the topic of cane sugar vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup.

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Mom Bloggers Paid to Promote High Fructose Corn Syrup: Why Wasn't I Invited?

The corn industry has solicited mothers to help support the idea that high fructose corn syrup is a healthy part of the American diet.

Earlier this month, the Corn Refiners Association, an industry trade group, invited some mom bloggers to listen in on a conference call about high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

The call, which was organized in conjunction with a web site called Mom Central, has stirred up some controversy in the mommy blogging world, with some of the participants writing about it in return for $50 gift cards.

Other bloggers turned down the invitation, citing ideological opposition to accepting money from the Corn Refiners Association in return for advertising all the wonderful aspects of consuming HFCS.

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PepsiCo, Walmart to give out Sierra Mist Natural

PepsiCo Inc. is giving away at least 10 million free cans of Sierra Mist Natural this weekend at Wal-Mart stores to introduce its new version of the lemon-lime soda, which now includes sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

The company announced last month it was remaking the drink by also removing preservatives. It added "Natural" to the name to cater to shoppers' desire to avoid artificial ingredients and launched a major marketing campaign, spending what it normally spends in a year to market the billion-dollar brand in the last quarter.

On Saturday, the company will give out the millions of cans at 2,800 Walmart supercenters, spending at least $3 million on the giveaway alone.

PepsiCo also removed high fructose corn syrup from Gatorade this year.

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Pepsi, Mountain Dew Throwback return to shelves

Pepsi Throwback is back, and the all-sugar version of the cola could stick around for awhile because shoppers want it.

Consumer demand has brought back Pepsi Throwback and a similar remake of Mountain Dew to store shelves several times since they was introduced in 2009 as a limited-time item. PepsiCo Inc. gave the remakes packaging similar to ones used in the 1970s. That was a time when those drinks were sweetened with sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup.

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Heinz caught in debate over high fructose corn syrup vs. sugar

Management at the H.J. Heinz Co., the nation's leading ketchup manufacturer, has taken a pro-choice approach to the anything but sweet battle being waged over the use of cane or beet sugar in food products vs. high fructose corn syrup.

Heinz earlier this year introduced a version of its ketchup made with sugar, a product named Simply Heinz. Yet the Pittsburgh food company kept the controversial sweetener in its flagship ketchup, which has legions of fans and outsells the nation's other brands.

The strategy would seem designed to make everyone happy but, rather like being a middle-of-the-road candidate in a polarized election year, it hasn't appeased the populace.

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'High Fructose Corn Syrup' Could Become 'Corn Sugar'

Help Rename High-Fructose Corn Syrup

The companies that make high-fructose corn syrup want to pick a new name for the sweetener, so we’re asking Well readers to help.

We asked a panel of nutrition experts what they thought about the term “corn sugar,” which is the name suggested by the Corn Refiners Association. We also asked them to offer their own ideas.

Read what they have to say and then vote on your favorite, or write in your own sweet suggestion in the Comments box, below.

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States expand efforts to combat 'funny honey'

"People were taking raw honey, adding high fructose corn syrup and marketing it as grade A USDA No. 1 honey, but there is no such thing"

You might call them the Honey Police — beekeepers and honey producers ready to comb through North Carolina to nab unscrupulous sellers of sweet-but-bogus "funny honey."

North Carolina is the latest state to create a standard that defines "pure honey" in a bid to curb the sale of products that have that label but are mostly corn syrup or other additives. Officials hope to enforce that standard with help from the 12,000 or so Tar Heel beekeepers.

"The beekeepers tend to watch what's being sold, they watch the roadside stands and the farmer's markets," said John Ambrose, an entomologist and bee expert at North Carolina State University who sits on the newly created Honey Standards Board.

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WHOOPS: 'Corn Sugar' Already Taken, FDA Definition Excludes HFCS

Thanks to alert reader Glen for pointing out that the FDA already has a regulation for Corn Sugar in the Code of Federal Regulations, under food substances "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS). ...

The Corn Refiners have just petitioned the FDA to be allowed to use the name "corn sugar" to apply to both glucose/dextrose and high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). But the existing definition seems to exclude HFCS. While HFCS is about half glucose, it is also about half fructose, and its manufacture from corn starch requires one more enzyme.

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What Do High Fructose Corn Syrup and Diddy Have in Common?

High fructose corn syrup is attempting to join a long line of corporate name-switchers, from Diddy (formerly P. Diddy, and even more formerly, Puff Daddy) to prunes (now also known, with fewer digestive-system connotations, as “dried plums”).

The Corn Refiners Association said today it has petitioned the FDA to let manufacturers instead use “corn sugar” as an alternative, hoping to “provide clarity for consumers” who are confused about the sweetener, Audrae Erickson, president of the refiners group, tells the Health Blog.

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QSR Magazine Investigates the Future of High Fructose Corn Syrup

QSR Magazine, a business-to-business publication for foodservice executives and operators, announced today the cover story of its latest issue. The Truth About High Fructose Corn Syrup investigates the possibility of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) becoming the next ingredient banned from menus. HFCS is found in a myriad of products and has garnered considerable media attention for its perceived health risks, especially with regard to fast food nutrition.

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A Shocking Breakdown of a Fast Food meal:

I wanted to show you a surprising breakdown of a typical fast food meal that MOST people don’t realize…

Here goes… Did you realize that when you eat a typical meal at a Fast Food joint, that you are basically eating almost entirely CORN (genetically modified corn too) … and no, there is really NOTHING healthy about eating almost all of your calories from corn!

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HFCS – The Poison that Promotes Obesity and Liver Damage

Two new studies have added more reason for concern that high-fructose corn syrup causes significantly more harm to the body than its mere sugar content would suggest.

High-fructose corn syrup contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent glucose. In contrast, table sugar (also known as sucrose) contains a 50-50 split.

In the first study, published in the journalPharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, researchers from Princeton University found that rats consuming high fructose corn syrup gained more weight and developed more cardiovascular risk factors than rats consuming equivalent amounts of sucrose.

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THE DANGERS OF HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP

Did you know that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the No. 1 source of calories for most Americans and causes obesity? HFCS is extremely toxic to your liver, increases inflammation, oxidative stress and your weight. It also creates an aggressive insulin response, which contributes to Type 2 diabetes. Consumption of HFCS is also linked to an increased risk of hypertension.

Need another reason to stay away from any product with HFCS, besides obesity, diabetes and elevated cholesterol? There are high levels of mercury in food products sweetened with toxic HFCS. Even small amounts of mercury can cause symptoms like neuropathy, skin discoloration, elevated heartbeat, high blood pressure, kidney dysfunction and destroy your memory.

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More food companies banish high-fructose corn syrup

First it was calories, then it was fat and sodium. Now, the latest health concern is high-fructose corn syrup.

As the country deals with obesity issues, ingredients in food have come under increasing scrutiny, bringing some confusion to the marketplace but also opportunities for companies as they try to differentiate themselves in a competitive grocery store.

Consumer concern has been getting a quick response from food companies, as many remove high-fructose corn syrup from well-known products, replacing it with cane or beet sugar. Sara Lee Corp. is the latest to jump on board, removing the sweetener from its two best-selling breads. Among the big-name products that already have undergone recipe overhauls are Hunt's ketchup, Gatorade, and everything in Starbucks' pastry case.

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Twizzler Manufacturer Campaigning For American Nutrition?

"In fact, most Hershey products contain high fructose corn syrup along with hydrogenated oils, ingredients that do not encompass healthy living."

Companies across the globe are beginning to address their sustainability principles and criteria. By making tangible positive changes, greenwashing may finally be fading away. Enter Hershey’s. The Hershey Company is the most recognized chocolate brand throughout the world and produces very well-known sugar-laden snacks such as Milk Duds and Jolly Ranchers. Recently, this chocolate confectioner became a sponsor with the American Dietetic Association, the largest organization of food and nutrition professionals.

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Sara Lee Reformulates Its Two Most Popular Breads

Consumers Asked, Sara Lee Listened: Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Removes High Fructose Corn Syrup

Sara Lee North American Fresh Bakery is reformulating the recipes of its two most popular breads -- Sara Lee Soft & Smooth Made with Whole Grain White bread and Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Whole Wheat bread. The High Fructose Corn Syrup in both breads also has been removed and includes sugar only. In addition, Sara Lee Soft & Smooth 100% Whole Wheat now includes vitamin D and is considered an excellent source of calcium.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup for Earth Friendly Flooring

The increase of textile mills being more environmentally conscious passes green products directly to Premier Floor Coverings and its customers, including items made from cork and high fructose corn syrup.

For great floor and window products at great prices, look no further than Premier Floor Coverings.

“We try to keep it fresh and stay on the trends, and make everyone happy that comes in,” said owner Dan Grattan, who manages a team of 11 employees, including installers, with his wife Julie.

Premier Floor Coverings has provided floor and window coverings, tools, supplies and top-notch customer service in Grass Valley since the early 1990s.

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Cane sugar challenges corn syrup in soft-drink formulas

As for why corn syrup is cheaper? Corn subsidies. Our tax dollars are going toward the crapification of our diet.

Take a stroll down the soda aisle, and you'll see a slew of products taking a more natural approach to sweetness. The selling point: "Made with real cane sugar."

Cane sugar sodas are meant to be an antidote to soft drinks that are sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup. The idea is that cane sugar offers a more balanced and natural taste than its corn syrup counterpart.

Think of it as the difference between Mexican Coca-Cola, which is made with cane sugar, and its American sibling with high fructose corn syrup. To Aaron Moreno, who writes the Sacramento Food in the Hood blog, it's Mexican Coke that's the real thing.

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Cancer finding may make corn syrup the new tobacco

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), a corn-based sweetener developed in 1957 and engineered into a wide range of food starting in 1975, looks headed to becoming a major health concern of this generation.

In the process Archer Daniels-Midland may become a one-company “big tobacco.”

ADM is not the only HFCS producer, just the largest and best-known. Overall HFCS production has fallen 13% from 2001.

ADM led the push for HFCS in food during the 1970s, and by the mid-90s had one-third of the market. The company helped it replace cane sugar in soda, becoming a major political player. It’s also a major advocate for ethanol, also produced from corn.

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High-fructose corn syrup linked to deadliest type of cancer

New research from UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center takes aim at high-fructose corn syrup. The study found that pancreatic cancers use fructose to fuel their growth, and that, contrary to conventional wisdom, cancers processed fructose differently than glucose.

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High fructose corn syrup debate heats up

Early this year, ConAgra Foods decided to reformulate Hunts ketchup, one of its biggest brands, replacing the high-fructose corn syrup in it with sugar. In April, new bottles featuring a banner saying "No high fructose corn syrup" arrived in stores.

Among other major-brand products that have replaced high-fructose corn syrup with sugar are Gatorade, several Kraft salad dressings, Wheat Thins, Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Pepsi Throwback, and Mountain Dew Throwback.

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What Corn Flakes and an Oil Spill Have in Common

Recently, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has been called out for its many nefarious effects on the eating public—everything from obesity to Type II diabetes to liver disease is being blamed on HFCS’s abundant presence in just about every processed product on store shelves

You don’t have to look too far to find major brands that Americans don’t trust these days. Think: BP, Goldman Sachs and, well, toss in the names of whatever Wall Street firm and national mortgage lender you’d like. While the good folks who set our breakfast tables with corn flakes and fruit juice have not caused an ecological catastrophe or melted down our financial system (at least not yet), some of them have prompted consumers to take a closer look at their marketing techniques and, subsequently, their products—so much so that food manufacturers could, if they’re not careful, join the black list of brands that everyone hates and nobody trusts.

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Alex Jones responds to High Fructose Corn Syrup

What is the carbohydrate breakdown (amount of sugar, starch, and fiber) of Raw Agave (not agave nectar)?

Falsely labeled, agave fructose and high fructose corn syrup are both products of advanced chemistry and extensive food processing technology.

There are several sources on the internet that show inaccurate breakdowns of sugar, starch and fiber that do not add up to the total amount of carbohydrates. An example of an inaccurate source is: http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/ethnic-foods/10007/2. The starch + sugar + fiber = 2.6g but the total carbohydrates are listed as 4.5g. Please help!

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Fructose Linked to High Blood Pressure

For decades, doctors warned of salt being a culprit in hypertension, or high blood pressure. Now it looks like certain forms of sugar are also to blame for high blood pressure.

A recent study has shown that people who drink 2.5 or more cans of soda (non-diet) per day or eat an equivalent amount of fructose have a 30% increased risk of high blood pressure. Fructose is naturally found in fruit, but in this form it is accompanied by vitamins and phytonutrients, as well as fiber, and its effects are not considered harmful. It is when it is refined into high fructose corn syrup that it becomes a hazard.

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Can Honest Tea Say No to Coke, Its Biggest Investor?

One option Coke presented, he said, was simply to eliminate the “no high-fructose corn syrup” banner. But Mr. Goldman argued that including the notification was a key signal to buyers that there were no hidden ingredients in the drink, an important issue given the growing chorus questioning whether high-fructose corn syrup contributed to the risk of obesity in adults and children.

HONEST TEA makes juices and teas with natural sweeteners, including the pouch drinks Honest Kids. In early 2008, Coca-Cola took a 40 percent interest in the Bethesda, Md.-based company, which had revenue of $47 million last year. Coke has an option to buy the whole company next year.

THE CHALLENGE Maintaining Honest Tea’s integrity while adjusting to a new relationship with a financial backer that has a different way of doing business.

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High-Fructose Corn Syrup May Raise Your Blood Pressure

The commercials are wrong: high-fructose corn syrup is bad for you.

No, really bad. That's according to the results of a new study.

Unlike sucrose - which comes from sugar cane and beets - fructose, which is made from corn, can raise your uric acid levels.

So what?

Elevated uric acid levels can set off a hormone, called angiotensin II, that makes blood vessels contract. This can increase your blood pressure, say researchers at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center in Denver.

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The Silly Secret about Chicken McNuggets

Your Chicken McNugget is already 56% corn before you swim it through the high fructose corn syrup dipping sauce they give you. But do you know what else is in it?Proust had his madeleines to evoke the taste of childhood; those of us born after the atomic age have chicken McNuggets.

Turns out the little poultry bites are made of some of the same stuff that goes into one of the most popular toys of the latter 20th century: Silly Putty.

The shocking (well, sort of shocking) revelation came as part of a CNN investigation as to why McNuggets on one side of the Atlantic taste different than on the other. Apparently, British McNuggets are cooked and then coated, where as the opposite is true for American ones. Because the British McNuggets absorb less oil, they have less fat.

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Study: High-Fructose Diets May Raise Blood Pressure

Added Sugar May Be Linked to Hypertension Risk

Foods and beverages with high amounts of fructose from added sugar may increase your risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack and stroke.

A type of sugar, fructose is a key ingredient in table sugar and high-fructose corn syrup. Added sugars are found in processed foods such as candy, cookies, and cakes, as well as soda.

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Dr Pepper orders sugar for 125th anniversary

Dr Pepper is prescribing some sugar this summer in honor of its 125th anniversary, the latest in a series of moves by soda makers to temporarily swap out high fructose corn syrup.

The spicy soda made by Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. is rolling out Dr Pepper "Made With Real Sugar" this weekend through early September.

Cans and bottles will feature old logos in the company's deep red, and colorful designs with lions and bright swirls of color harkening back to the 60s. Popular phrases such as "I'm a Pepper" also appear.

There are six different can designs. The company wanted to bring back the sugar version to help highlight its past, which dates to the creation of Dr Pepper by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas, in 1885.

Dr Pepper declined to say if it will try out sugar in other brands such as Canada Dry, 7-Up and A&W Root Beer.

Manufacturers are testing sugar drinks as people's appetite for them increases, as some become concerned about high fructose corn syrup. Though they're nutritionally almost identical and equally caloric, some consumers believe corn syrup is less healthy than sugar.

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High Fructose Corn Syrup—Ingredient to Avoid

The other day I noticed a new shelf in the grocery store for Weight Watchers Bread. Since I'm always on the lookout for a lower-calorie bread, I checked the label and was surprised to find high fructose corn syrup as an ingredient.

I put it back on the shelf. If Weight Watchers is about healthier living, why use a sugar substitute many experts say is unhealthy?

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Subway Sandwiches' Secret Ingredient: High Fructose Corn Syrup

Think you’re doing yourself a favor by eating at Subway? Think again.

Your nine-grain bread is a fake. What you’re really downing is a bunch of high fructose corn syrup and…get this…plant fertilizer.

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Corn Growers Blanket Capitol Hill with Ag's Message

“It’s an education-oriented campaign for decision makers in D.C., congressional staffers, folks from environmental groups, think tanks—anybody that’s part of the discussion that’s affecting policy”

The U.S. corn grower is about to get some extra attention in Washington, D.C. In this age of increased scrutiny on high-fructose corn syrup and farm subsidies, which are often not welcome, corn farmers are asking for this.

The Corn Farmers Coalition, a group of 14 state corn growers' associations and the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA), is taking its message direct to the policy battleground on Capitol Hill with a massive media blitz. The campaign will feature advertising throughout the Washington Metro rail system, inside Union Station, Capitol Hill media outlet Web sites and even in the Washington Nationals baseball team’s home game programs. The program is estimated to cost $1 million, says coalition director Mark Lambert.

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Conspiracy for Fat America & High-Fructose Corn Syrup

High fructose corn syrup not so sweet for your diet

When it comes to losing and gaining weight, doctors have long thought that all calories were equal. But a recent study may cause scientists to question that. Could a popular food additive be making you gain more weight than the calories alone?

It's hard to find food in a box or bottle or bag that does not have this one ingredient.

"High-fructose corn syrup is found in such a wide variety of foods and beverages, like fruit juices, sodas, cereal, bread, yogurt, catsup, and mayonnaise and Americans consume 60 pounds of it every year on average," said Dr. Kim Edward LeBlanc, the head of the Department of Family Medicine and expert in nutrition, exercise and sports medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center.

Consumer Edna Klein said she does read labels. "Yes, we do, but I haven't really noticed that one," she said about high-fructose corn syrup. Another consumer named Tiffany shopping in Metairie, said she reads the ingredient label "sometimes" and has heard of high-fructose corn syrup. "Yes, but I'm still not exactly positive what it is," she said.

Doctors say high-fructose corn syrup takes corn syrup from corn and processes it or changes it. The new, manufactured molecules appear to be metabolized by the liver differently and absorbed by the body more easily than naturally occurring sugars.

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Sweet and Lowdown: High Fructose Corn Syrup Digs In

The other day I found myself hungry and in a health food store. While this could have been an expensive predicament, as I could have gorged myself on an array of premium prepared foods, I knew this was just an in between meals/post work out sort of hunger that could easily be addressed and satiated by a minuscule, but carbohydrate-rich, snack. I spied a shelf full of Tiger’s Milk Bars, which used to be a health food store mainstay back in the 70s (actually, it used to be the only energy bar option out there) and so I figured something with this pedigree, while maybe not entirely healthy, would be at least healthful.

Within moments after purchasing, I thought to take a look at the ingredients of this Protein Rich Tiger’s Milk Bar. Guess what the first ingredient was? Sugar? No, that would be so 1970s. Try high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The very first and more prominent ingredient is HFCS! Where have all the flowers gone, indeed!

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Sickening news about a common sweetener

Following the news about whether high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is bad for you or not is a lot like watching professional table tennis: You could get whiplash trying to keep up.

However, many of the favorable studies are from HFCS manufacturers or associations, and we don't think their data is great.

Besides, there's growing evidence that avoiding this el cheapo sugar replacement could also help you avoid heart disease, stroke and diabetes, not to mention wrinkles and impotence.

In a groundbreaking new study, a third of people consuming 200 grams of HFCS a day -- what you'd get in seven 20-ounce bottles of soda -- developed metabolic syndrome in two weeks.

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Ohio farmers say jobs at stake in debate over high-fructose corn syrup

Perhaps these farmers might remove themselves from the government-subsidized dole and begin supplying fruits and vegetables for Americans.

Ohio farmers say jobs are at stake as more companies in the food industry drop high-fructose corn syrup from their products.

Some nutritionists cite the syrup as part of the country's obesity problem, though industry scientists and many dietitians say it is no more fattening than sugar.

Nonetheless, PepsiCo Inc. has removed all high-fructose corn syrup from sports drink Gatorade and replaced it with cane sugar.

Ohio produces $2.1 billion worth of corn, making it the nation's No. 7 grower of the crop. The state has 1,700 corn-refining employees and 2,500 corn farmers.

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Dr. Oz: 5 foods to keep off your grocery list

"Of the five foods I never want you to put in your food cart, the one I worry about the most is high fructose corn syrup," said Dr. Oz.

When it comes to grocery shopping, popular TV Dr. Mehmet Oz said he sees drugs, rather than food, when he walks up and down the aisles. That is because cancer-fighting properties are found naturally in some foods and because of the negative side effects of added chemicals put into processed foods.

Dr. Oz took us shopping to show us the foods he said we should never put in our grocery carts. He suggested the toughest choices we make about what we eat should not happen at the dinner table or in the kitchen. Instead, they should happen at the store.

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Big Business, Soda & Corn Subsidies

"the only soda ingredient that has been proven to cause cancer, like both cigarettes and alcohol can, is artificial sweeteners" - Yes, and HFCS is a synthesized man-made chemical, the toxicity of which numerous studies indicate.

Someone posted and deleted a comment to my last post about the soda tax. I won't identify them, because obviously they chose to retract their comment, but I did want to respond to it because I don't think it's an uncommon reaction to this kind of position:

"The American Beverage Association, and its simulated grassroots spinoffs that have been set up to oppose this, thank you for your time and effort on their behalf. "

In opposing the beverage tax, I want to make a couple things clear.

I realize that the soda industry, like almost every other industry (such as the snack food, alcohol, automobile, oil, hemp, solar power, and gastroenterology industries) has an association and a lobby, and spends lots of money to promote its agenda. Of course, the bigger the industry, the bigger their lobby. But if we were proposing a tax on something that hardly anyone ever bought, would anyone really care?

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Mercury Found in High Fructose Corn Syrup

New Log Cabin All Natural Pancake Syrup Review

Log Cabin All Natural Syrup is already being distributed now and can be found in retailers nationwide in July. Look in your store's specialty syrup section. Pancakes are J's favorite breakfast food. He would eat them every morning if he could. Since mornings can get pretty crazy during the week we have made Sundays our pancake mornings. What goes hand in hand with pancakes? Syrup of course! J loves his syrup but I don't love all that sugar first thing in the morning. I try to limit how much I give him but I also know he sneaks a little extra on his plate when I'm not looking.

Log Cabin Syrup has been in households since 1887. Driven by the growing consumer demand for high quality all natural products, Log Cabin is introducing the first All Natural Pancake Syrup. That means there is no high fructose corn syrup, artificial colors or flavors, this new syrup is also gluten free and still tastes great!

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High-fructose corn syrup cut from Hunt's recipe

Coupons for the new Hunt's ketchup were provided in most May 16th Sunday newspaper editions.

OMAHA, Neb. — ConAgra Foods Inc. has removed high fructose corn syrup from its Hunt's brand ketchup.

Shoppers have been shying away from high-fructose corn syrup due to health concerns, and it was consumer demand that drove the changes, said Hunt's brand manager Ryan Toreson.

Hunt's is the latest brand to make the shift.

PepsiCo Inc. removed all high-fructose corn syrup from sports drink Gatorade and replaced it with cane sugar.
Some nutritionists cite the syrup as part of the country's obesity problem, though industry scientists and many dietitians say it is no more fattening than sugar.

Corn syrup is popular with manufacturers partly because it is cheaper than sugar.

Hunt's Tomato Ketchup has five ingredients: tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt and other seasonings, the company said.

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High fructose corn syrup falling out of favor

Have you heard that PepsiCo is dropping high fructose corn syrup from the ingredients in Gatorade? It's getting more and more difficult for the PR flacks working for the corn industry to find cover. The public relations efforts on behalf of the corn lobby is as trusted as the tobacco industry's these days. As a new study has found, the stuff is bad for you. There is just not much of a debate left anymore.

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THE SWEET SURPRISE IS GIVING AMERICA A TOOTHACHE

The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) started a campaign in 2008 to spread the news about high fructose corn syrup. They called this campaign“Changing the Conversation about High Fructose Corn Syrup.” The CRA wanted to dispel the so-called “myths” about high fructose corn syrup being bad for you,and provide Americans with a sense of relief that food and beverages containing high fructose corn syrup are fine for their bodies. The CRA launched a line of commercials for their campaign, advertising sweetsurprise.com, where consumers can look up facts about high fructose corn syrup(HFCS). One fact posted on this web site and mentioned in the sweet surprise commercials is that high fructose corn syrup, like sugar, is fine, when consumed in moderation. This sounds great, but if consumers to look at the labels on packaged food and drinks, they will see that it is close to impossible to moderate HFCS.

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Equipment for Making High Fructose Corn Syrup

Saccharification is the next step, during which glucoamylase breaks down the glucose polymers, yielding a glucose mixture that is ready for ion exchange and carbon filtration. High fructose corn syrup, mostly composed of glucose, is present in many foods and drinks that contain sugar. HFCS was discovered in 1957, but became common in the late 1970s, when the price of sugar became higher than corn. HFCS is most commonly integrated into products that are already processed, such as prepackaged and canned foods. The equipment for manufacturing HFCS is based on equipment used for corn milling.

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Heinz to use new ketchup recipe

Heinz says it is also working on a ketchup made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup.

Heinz is giving its ketchup recipe a makeover.

The new batches of ketchup will have less salt.

Company officials say the 15 percent cut in sodium is the first significant change in its recipe in nearly 40 years.

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KFC 'Honey' Is Not What It Seems

KFC Takes the Honey Out of the Honey

The other evening it was my night to cook so I got dinner from KFC along with some packets of "honey" to top off my biscuits.

When I arrived home I noticed that what I thought was honey was actually something that KFC calls "honey sauce." This struck me as odd. Isn't honey already a sauce, courtesy of Mother Nature? I glanced at the ingredients.

Mother Nature's sole ingredient in honey is, well, honey. But that's not the case with "honey sauce" from KFC.

Honey was actually the 4th ingredient, right behind "sugar" and "corn syrup." The main ingredient was "high fructose corn syrup" or HFCS. Kind of made me think that KFC should have named this "High Fructose Corn Syrup Sauce." I guess Honey Sauce sounds better.

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The ingredients is sad. It is listed below with the largest in quantity listed first:

- High fructose corn syrup
- Sugar
- Honey (11%, according to front of the packet)
- Corn syrup (again?)
- Natural Flavors
- Caramel Color

This means that up to 89% of the sauce is a combination of corn syrup and sugars.

The command to be bland: some sweet and salty bills

“I was looking at a bottle of Worcestershire sauce, yesterday, that you shake on your meat before you barbecue it — high fructose corn syrup is in it. Now, why in the world would you need that in it?”

Food may be getting a lot more bland in the near future as legislation that would ban salt and high fructose corn syrup is in the works. Lawmakers say it is all in the name of good health, but it also raises a serious question — how much should the government be allowed to dictate what we eat and where do we draw the line?

State Assemblywoman Barbara Clark (D-Queens Village) has introduced a bill that would prohibit stores from selling products that contain high fructose corn syrup. It would also ban the sticky sweetener from any food that is prepared or sold in a restaurant. Violators could face a $2,000 fine or misdemeanor criminal charges.

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Corn subsidy gone too far

High fructose corn syrup leads to obesity, disease

In March, Congress passed the National Heath Care bill. This means that the health care conversation is over, right? Unfortunately, no, it's not.

Whether you support the bill or not, we are far from being out of the woods. While we have reformed the way that we pay for health care in America and who is eligible, we are not necessarily healthier: we are still faced with a growing obesity epidemic and the rise of chronic diseases.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a majority of deaths in the U. S. are linked to chronic diseases and approximately one-in-three adults are overweight. Not only are these conditions costly to treat, they also have exterior negative impacts on our economy: a diagnosis of either will most certainly diminish one's ability to work. While there are many ways to address this issue, I'm going to focus on one specific area of concern: the corn industry.

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The Death of High Fructose Corn Syrup

“We know moms don’t like it, and they don’t want to feed it to their kids,” supermarket expert Phil Lempert told Ad Age.

The back-to-back, double whammy announcements that PepsiCo (PEP) is ditching high fructose corn syrup in Gatorade along with the results of a scathing new study from researchers at Princeton make it official — allies of the controversial sweetener have lost the war.

For years, the Corn Refiners Association, a trade group consisting of companies like Cargill and ADM (ADM), has been hammering away at the bad press gushing out about high fructose corn syrup. In ads, in the press and online, they argue that the sweetener is a perfectly natural product and that it is no worse for you than regular old sugar.

To which consumers have responded with a collective “Yeah, right.” Con Agra (CAG) is taking HFCS out of its Hunt’s ketchup, Kraft (KFT) is banishing it from Wheat Thins and you will no longer find it in Snapple drinks. It’s all in response to what food companies say is overwhelming consumer demand. “We know moms don’t like it, and they don’t want to feed it to their kids,” supermarket expert Phil Lempert told Ad Age. Last month, outraged San Francisco parents forced high fructose corn syrup out of chocolate milk in the school system. More products are sure to follow.

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Drinking it in

"The drinks are addicting!" shouted one boy. "High fructose corn syrup is cheap, so companies make more money when they use it," said a girl.

Students participate in beverage replacement campaign

It has been nine weeks since Grace Hudson School sixth-graders in Mr. Thomas' class received brightly colored water bottles from the Mendocino County School Network for a Healthy California. Program Director Terry Nieves and Elly Hollis-Morton- nutrition education instructor - provided the bottles and a lot of information about beverage choices to five classrooms in the county as part of a nine-week project for the students.

As part of their "Rethink Your Drink" campaign, Nieves and Hollis-Morton provided surveys to the students at the outset of the experiment, asking kids what kinds of beverages they drank, the frequency and in what quantities. They were educated about the importance of drinking water, about making better beverage choices and about the importance of avoiding or reducing the amount of beverages containing sugar, high fructose corn syrup, artificial ingredients and caffeine.

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For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder

In a further attempt to improve its image, the Corn Refiners Association has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration to allow a name change (from High Fructose Corn Syrup) to the simpler, less-chemical-y “corn syrup.”
FOR much of 2009, Michael Locascio, an executive at ConAgra Foods, watched with concern as the bad news about high-fructose corn syrup kept coming.

In January, there were studies showing that samples of the sweetener contained the toxic metal mercury. Then came a popular Facebook page that was critical of the syrup. By year-end, there were about a dozen spoofs on YouTube mocking efforts by makers of high-fructose corn syrup to show that science is on their side.

But it was pleading comments like this one, from a devoted ConAgra customer, that finally persuaded Mr. Locascio, president of the meal enhancers category at ConAgra, to take action: “Hunt’s is by far the best ketchup ever, but please start making a variety without the high-fructose corn syrup,” wrote Jennifer from New Hampshire.

Early this year, she got her wish when ConAgra decided to reformulate one of its biggest brands, replacing the high-fructose corn syrup in Hunt’s ketchup with old-fashioned sugar. This month, new bottles featuring a banner proclaiming “No high fructose corn syrup” arrive in stores.

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