Yesterday, we heard some of the dangers of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). According to Yahoo News, "Americans' consumption of corn syrup has fallen to a 20-year low on consumer concerns that it is more harmful" and the Corn Refiners Association is trying to revamp their image. Last week they applied with the Food and Drug Administration to officially use the phrase corn sugar, instead of high fructose corn syrup, on food labels.
While the federal government decides on the case, the HFCS industry has moved forward with an online marketing campaign promoting the safety of corn sugar.
An effective name change has worked well for other food products in the past. For example, "low eurcic acid rapeseed oil became much more popular after becoming 'canola oil' in 1988. Prunes tried to shed a stodgy image by becoming 'dried plums' in 2000" (Yahoo News).
There's a great deal of controversy over HFCS and their impending publicity makeover. Some, such as the Corn Refiners Association, insist that "sugar is sugar" and there's nothing dangerous about HFCS. Others claim that these renaming efforts are a sly attempt to hoodwink the public and HFCS is truly dangerous. I will let you make your own decision on the matter, but in general, it is the natural food enthusiasts who warn against HFCS and the corn industry that supports its consumption. Regardless of which camp you trust, everyone can agree that we need to consume less sugars, and that includes corn sugar.
Those Corn Refiners Association adds are positively ridiculous. Just watching them, you get the sense that you're being fed a heaping spoonful of BS.
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