High-fructose corn syrup, the 900-lb. gorilla of sweeteners, is getting PR help because of all the negative pressure HFCS has received.
Wow!!
You may have seen the full-page ads from the Corn Refiners Association. According to the organization, HFCS is getting a bad rap, and they are there to set the record straight.
And the Corn Refiners Association wouldn't steer you wrong on a corn product, would they?
The Web site mentioned in the ad has a hilarious quiz. In the quiz, high-fructose corn syrup is considered a "natural food ingredient." If you have seen the two guys in "King Corn" making HFCS, you might question that statement.
According to the quiz: "Sugar, honey and high fructose corn syrup sweeteners are all considered natural food ingredients under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s definition of the term 'natural.' "The FDA's definition of anything isn't very credible, due to political pressure among other reasons.
Other statements of "fact":
"Research on high fructose corn syrup and sugar show that both sweeteners have a similar impact on satiety or feelings of fullness." Not sure what to say about that research, except maybe their definition of "similar" isn't similar.
"The human body digests sugar, honey, high fructose corn syrup and fruit juice concentrates similarly by breaking them into glucose and fructose, which are absorbed into the bloodstream, where they are transported to the cells of the body and converted into energy." This may be true, but is highly irrelevant. But a nice try by the industry.
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