No doubt, there’s been plenty of backlash against High Fructose Corn Syrup. And the Corn Refiners industry has been feeling it where it hurts: its pockets.
The guys and gals over at the Corn Refiners Association need to turn this idea of “bad” around. So rather than change their crappy product, they’ve hired a fancy marketing team to help give them a new, fresh spin. Hence, the birth of the ad campaign: “Sweet Surprise . . . providing factual information about high fructose corn syrup – an ingredient that’s more than just a natural sweetener.” Because, you know, that really explains a lot. Enjoy your 30 seconds of greenwashing:
Let’s look back in time for a moment. In 1882, America saw the invention of corn syrup. Corn syrup is made through an enzymatic conversion of cornstarch, into a syrupy concoction that contains primarily glucose – the form of sugar the body uses as energy. Because of its relatively inexpensive cost, tastelessness and potent sweetness, corn syrup quickly became a vastly popular sweetener in foods throughout the world. Just about every product imaginable began to include it – from energy bars and bread, to soup and drinks.
In 1958, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) was invented using different enzymes that converted the sugars into fructose instead of glucose. The advantages to this version included further inexpensiveness, and its ability to prevent drying and also preserve the product in which it was used as an ingredient. By the 1970’s, now notorious HFCS was the corn syrup cousin that had taken over the market.
Sweet Surprise claims that HFCS contains that same calories as sugar, and is a “natural” product derived from corn. Since that’s really all the good things they could come up with, the rest of their campaign is more an attempt to portray non-HFCS consumers as idiots.
Although Sweet Surprise attempts to make the product sound harmless and silly, High Fructose Corn Syrup is potentially an incredibly toxic ingredient. One of the reasons for this health hazard status its “high fructose” content: 42%-90% according to sources. Author and nutrition guru Dr. Weil explains, “Never before in history have so many people been consuming so much fructose. I am concerned about its possible disruptive effects on metabolism, including its potential to cause insulin resistance. Along with a growing number of experts, I believe that HFCS is a chief driver of the obesity epidemic in this country, particularly of childhood obesity. I deplore our government’s role in making HFCS so cheap through federal subsidies of corn production.” With sugar metabolism diseases like diabetes at an epic high (and rising), I’d say Dr. Weil is onto something.
Additionally, “natural” high fructose corn syrup was recently found to be contaminated with toxic mercury. Earlier this year, The Washington Post reported, “Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.” Although I wouldn’t tout cane sugar as “good,” it certainly does not contain mercury.
And of course, Sweet Surprise’s claim that “everything is ok in moderation” is ridiculous, as it’s very difficult to achieve moderation when HFCS is in just about every packaged food imaginable. The American consumer continues to enjoy an average of 12 teaspoons a day of HFCS syrup, with teenagers averaging up to 80% more.
I have nothing against the corn industry (when the corn grown is organically and non-genetically modified). What I take issue with is the refined and nutrient-void foods that are a result of the industry . . . and their damaging effects on our body. Meanwhile, there are a plethora of delicious, healthy, truly natural sweetener alternatives to be enjoyed — including agave nectar, stevia, palm sugar, and yacon syrup, just to name a few. They may cost a tad more than high fructose corn syrup, but they also come without the tax of long-term degenerative disease.
At the end of the day, I’d rather have my sweet WITHOUT the surprise.
