High Fructose Corn Syrup
Name Game

High-Fructose Corn Syrup is a man-made sweetener used in hundreds of grocery store products.

But High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has a serious image problem. Consumers are avoiding it. Food companies are taking it out of the products they make. Some supermarkets have banned it. Demand for this highly-processed ingredient is falling fast.

So the corporations that make HFCS decided that changing the name was a way to fix this problem. They are trying to change the rules so that HFCS can legally be called "corn sugar" and ultimately maybe just "sugar" so we won’t know what we’re eating.

So far, these corporations have spent more than $50 million dollars on deceptive television advertising in an attempt to convince U.S. consumers that High-Fructose Corn Syrup is “corn sugar.”

But High-Fructose Corn Syrup is not sugar.

Sugar only comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. Corn is a starch that doesn’t have enough sugar in it naturally to be used as a sweetener. So the corn has to be altered in a lab and then fructose is chemically bonded to it to make it sweet.

The name High Fructose Corn Syrup was chosen in 1983 by the corporations that produce it. They thought it was a good name then. Now these corporations are claiming that consumers are “confused” by the name.

But the truth is, consumers are not confused at all by the name. They know exactly what High Fructose Corn Syrup is, and would only be confused if the name was changed.

Many Americans feel that High-Fructose Corn Syrup should not be allowed to call itself “corn sugar” on food package labels. If this name change is allowed, they would have no way of knowing that High Fructose Syrup is in the foods they buy for themselves and their families.

FoodIdentityTheft.com believes that informed consumers make the best decisions about the foods they purchase. That means knowing what’s in the foods we eat, and that requires clear, honest food labeling.

As Americans, we have the freedom to choose what we consume—whether we want to buy products with High Fructose Corn Syrup or not. But we also have the right to know what we are getting. For this reason the manufacturers of High Fructose Corn Syrup should not be allowed to change its name to the misleading “corn sugar.”

There are many differences between sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup. The facts below underscore the differences:

SUGAR FACTS

  1. FACT: The sugar that we use in our homes comes naturally from sugarcane and sugar beets, and has been consumed for over two thousand years.
  2. FACT: Every country in the world uses sugar that comes from sugarcane or sugar beets.
  3. FACT: Sugar can be purchased in grocery stores.
  4. FACT: The word “Sugar” has been used for centuries to refer to the product that comes from sugarcane or sugar beets.
  5. FACT: There’s already a food product recognized by the FDA with the name “corn sugar.” (It’s NOT High Fructose Corn Syrup.) It’s a corn by-product that is used in some foods and in natural beer making.

HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP FACTS:

  1. High Fructose Corn Syrup does not occur naturally—it’s man-made, created in a lab and not extracted from corn.
  2. FACT: Corn is a starch that’s not very sweet. It’s impossible to get sugar from corn or any other plant besides beets or sugarcane.
  3. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is an industrial food product that requires an enzyme process to bond fructose molecules to corn starch.
  4. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup cannot be purchased in grocery stores.
  5. FACT: The U.S. is the only country that uses a significant amount of High Fructose Corn Syrup in its food products.
  6. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup, while disliked by many consumers, is popular with food and beverage manufacturers because it’s much cheaper than sugar.
  7. FACT: High Fructose Corn Syrup is used in hundreds of grocery store products including breakfast cereals, granola bars, salad dressings, mayonnaise, pancake syrups, jelly, ice cream and popsicles, crackers, tomato sauce, energy drinks, yogurt, soda pop, breads, hamburger buns, juice drinks, and many more.
  8. FACT: In the wake of widespread consumer concerns, demand for High Fructose Corn Syrup has hit a 20-year low.
  9. FACT: The makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup chose the name “High Fructose Corn Syrup” when it was introduced in the 1970’s.
  10. FACT: Now the makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup want to change its name on food package labels.

As a result, millions of Americans are against any name change that would allow High Fructose Corn Syrup to call itself “corn sugar” and maybe just “sugar” on food package labels.

FoodIdentityTheft.com encourages consumers to contact the FDA and contact the FTC to express their views about the proposed name change.