How Sweet it Is

The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) would have consumers believe high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is just another name for sugar; yet, a recent 11 percent drop in sales of products containing HFCS shows consumers are steering clear of it. To win consumers back, CRA announced its intention September 2010 to rename the sweetener "corn sugar."

Can a new name for HFCS sway consumers? Previous name changes for other ingredients have boosted public consumption, including the switch from "low euric arid rapeseed oil" to "canola oil," and the renaming of "dried plums" as prunes. But in the case of high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener has considerable obstacles to surmount.

Recent studies suggest HFCS causes characteristics of obesity and insulin resistance.^1,2 Other studies, funded in part by CRA, concluded, "HFCS does not appear to contribute to overweight and obesity any differently than do other energy sources." A quick read on Wikipedia leads consumers to statistics of rising fructose consumption in the United States since HFCS obtained GRAS status in 1976, and the question as to whether the chemical process for making HFCS can be considered "natural."

What is beyond doubt is that consumer confusion and distrust of HFCS has grown considerably in the last few years and is still growing today. CRA declares on its website that "high fructose corn syrup and table sugar contain approximately the same amount of fructose, yet nearly 58 percent of respondents believed high fructose corn syrup has more fructose than other table sugar."

Can a new name save the ingredient in the court of public opinion? All I can say is that the jury's still out on this one.

1. Bocarsly ME et al. "High-fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: Increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels." Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2010;97(1):101-106. DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2010.02.012 .

2. Elliott SS et al. "Fructose, weight gain, and the insulin resistance syndrome." Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79(4):537-43.