Corn Refiners Association

You may have seen the high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) commercials that have come out in recent years.

If you haven’t, it goes something like this:

A lovely couple is sitting outside on the grass having a picnic. The woman pulls out a popsicle and offers it to the man.

He looks at it and says, “Don’t you love me?”

And she says, “Of course. Why?”

And he says, “Well, you know what they say about high fructose corn syrup, don’t you?”

Confidently, she replies, “No, what?”

And then he stammers, “Well, umm, uh,” and can’t come up with any facts about why high fructose corn syrup is bad for you.

The woman then says, “What? That it’s a natural sweetener made from corn, has the same calories as sugar and is fine in moderation?”

The man then smiles, takes the popsicle and says, “And you only brought one?”

Great commercial, right?

This commercial was put out by the Corn Refiners Association under the cute little name, Sweet Surprise. They have a Website too. It’s SweetSurprise.com, because as the truth about the dangers of sugar and high fructose corn syrup in our diet have been coming out, the HFCS industry saw major dips in their sales.

High fructose corn syrup is big business. Corn is subsidized by the U.S. government making it very cheap to produce. Processing it into a cheap sweetener turns in really big profits.

Because it’s so cheap, high fructose corn syrup is literally found in everything. It’s found in sodas, breakfast cereals, breads. It’s in ketchup, fake pancake syrup, a ton of desserts and even power bars.

pepsi & mountain dew throwback

So, let’s ask the question, “what is so bad about high fructose corn syrup?”

The man in the commercial should have responded to this question with a litany of reasons, amongst which are that it contributes to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, it confuses the body’s natural sense of satiation and is a huge contributor to the obesity epidemic in America.

Another big problem with high fructose corn syrup, is that it’s anything but natural.

What’s it made of?

The basic makeup of high fructose corn syrup is actually similar to sugar. On the glycemic index, it’s basically the same as sugar. It has the same impact on your body- they’re both equally bad.

But high fructose corn syrup takes it one step further; it’s highly processed with the use of chemicals, so it becomes a foreign substance, parts of which our body doesn’t know how to handle or break down- it acts like a toxin. And, because it’s so cheap to produce, we as Americans eat it in anything other than moderation.

An average American currently consumes up to about 140 pounds of sugar per year, almost half of which is high fructose corn syrup. These shocking numbers, which have risen along with rates of diabetes and obesity, have caused a backlash against HFCS.

In addition to the Sweet Surprise commercials, the Corn Refiners Association launched a legal battle to try and re-brand high fructose corn syrup under a different name. They wanted to call it ‘corn sugar’ so that people would stop avoiding their product. Just recently, the FDA turned them down. This is truly something to celebrate!

♥ So, what can you do as a consumer?

Arm yourself with knowledge, and READ THE INGREDIENTS.
Empower yourself. Don’t fall into the hands of marketing campaigns.
Ignore the front of packages that may claim things like ‘All Natural.’ Turn the package over and cut straight to the chase – find out what is actually in what you’re eating.

And if you’re looking for a real sweet surprise this summer,

I suggest you take advantage of the cherries, grapes, watermelon, and berries that are currently in season. Enjoy!

Feel free to post your questions or thoughts about HFCS in the comments below. We’d be happy to answer them.

HFCS: The Not-So-Sweet Surprise