A sugar is a sugar, whether cane, corn or beet

Consumer questions over high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) have risen lately, as well as confusion of what HFCS really is. CBS Nightly News covered this topic and developed a well-balanced piece that defines the similarities of table sugar and HFCS. (Basically that sugar is sugar.)

The news report touches on how the controversy over HFCS and sugar is all hype.

“The food police - the ones who told us Chinese food and theatre popcorn were bad - would also be yelling about high-fructose corn syrup. But instead, they say the controversy is all hype."

"The evilness of high-fructose corn syrup has become an urban myth," said Michael Jacobson with the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The video that went with the news article is below.



The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) has being doing its job defending HFCS and corn as well. Audrae Erickson, president of CRA, quoted in a recent Wall Street Journal article on sugar, “This is nothing more than a marketing gimmick," referring to packaged-food companies that switch ingredients from HFCS to sugar. “They’ve switched from one sugar to another.”

CRA also has a campaign out to defend corn with great message points that need to be shared with consumers:

HFCS is: 

• A natural sweetener made from corn 
• Handles by the body the same as sugar 
• Has the same number of calories as sugar 
• Is nutritionally the same as sugar 
• Is fine in moderation

For more information about CRA and HFCS, go to SweetSurprise.com.

For more blog posts on HFCS:
You can't have Christmas without corn!
Journal clears the air on high-fructose corn syrup
Websites offer facts on high-fructose corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup gets bad rap
Podcast: Ag myths abound the popular press and bad TV shows
HFCS: Spreading the truth about the sweet side of corn
Good report on HFCS
Podcast: Some facts about HFCS