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Written by Gerry Pugliese
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We grow tons of corn in this country. Drive through the Mid West and you'll discover corn for as far as the eye can see! So, what do we do with all this corn? Well, either we have a tortilla fetish or it's ending up as high fructose corn syrup.
Guess what? It's the later. We love high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and we stick it in many of our favorite foods, especially processed foods and soft drinks.
But HFCS has gained a nasty reputation for being unhealthy. That's why the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) wants to put a pig in a dress and give HFCS a new name, dumping high fructose corn syrup and switching to “corn sugar.”
The Corn Refiners Association has petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to give manufacturers the option of using “corn sugar” as an alternative name for HFCS. They claim it more accurately describes the food additive.
"Consumers need to know what is in their foods and where their foods come from and we want to be clear with them," said Audrae Erickson, President of The Corn Refiners Association, "The term 'corn sugar' succinctly and accurately describes what this natural ingredient is and where it comes from, corn."
The CRA cites survey data showing 58% of respondents believe HFCS has more fructose than table sugar. Fructose basically means empty calories.
I'm not sure a name change really matters. It won't dull the speculation over health risks and high fructose corn syrup. HFCS is a processed food and researchers have suggested it contributes to obesity and diabetes.
If you're looking for something sweet or to take the bitter out of your morning coffee, go for a real sugar sweetened dessert or try raw sugar in your coffee.
In related news, some health experts warn high fructose corn syrup is worse than sugar. Oh, and be careful when buying “pure” maple syrup, because sometimes they sneak HFCS in there. I call shenanigans, shenanigans!
Image credit: trimmer741 |
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