The Salt Lake Tribune
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The high-fructose bullies
In a story published last Wednesday about preparing your own condiments, I mentioned that homemade ketchup not only makes your burgers taste great, but it also is a way to avoid the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) found in commercial ketchup.

The Corn Refiners Association jumped all over the statement sending me a four page (single-spaced) letter to set the record straight. 

"Suggesting that high fructose corn syrup is an unhealthy ingredient is misleading," the letter, signed by association president Audrae Erickson, stated.

The correspondence explains how HFCS does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other sweeteners and that it is nutritionally the same as sugar and honey. (This website has all the details.)

Well duh! Most people realize that obesity and the growing rate of diabetes is a complex problem and one single food ingredient is not to blame. Consuming sweeteners, no matter what form, should be done in moderation.

The problem is that HFCS is added to staggering number of foods from yogurt and cereals, to crackers, and, yes, ketchup. Many of these sweet foods are marketed to children. Unless consumers are diligent, it is difficult to have just "moderate" intake.

So when a multi-billion dollar industry, like the Corn Refiners, gets cranky about a story that helps consumers take control of what they eat, they become bullies in my notebook.
posted by Kathy Stephenson @ 11:08 AM |

1 Comments:

At October 1, 2008 8:39 AM , Blogger Jdlab said...

EXACTLY!! You can't eat something in moderation when it's an ingredient in almost every processed food product sold. And I don't care what the corn lobby claims: high-fructose corn syrup is GARBAGE and should be avoided, if at all possible. Make more of your own food. Food companies only use this stuff because it's cheaper than sugar not because it's better for the consumer. I think they also use it to hook consumers on their products. I have eliminated corn syrup from my diet almost entirely without any regrets and I am definitely the healthier for it. I'd rather have the real thing--sugar--in smaller quantities and less frequently than corn syrup in any of its forms.

 

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About Kathy
   Kathy Stephenson has been the food writer at The Tribune since 2000. Prior to that she covered education and was a general assignment reporter for Utah's largest daily newspaper. A Utah native, Stephenson's first job was picking zucchini on her grandparent's Kaysville farm. Every Christmas, Stephenson's neighbors and colleagues look forward to getting a plate of her baklava. Last year, she gave away nearly 300 pieces.