High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a man-made sweetener used in thousands of grocery store products and it has a serious image problem. Consumers are avoiding it. Food companies are taking it out of the products they make. Some supermarkets have banned it. Demand for this highly processed ingredient is falling fast.
The Corn Refiners Association—comprised of corporations that make HFCS—decided that changing the name was a way to fix this problem. They are petitioning the FDA so that HFCS can legally be called “corn sugar” and ultimately just “sugar”. An official decision hasn’t yet been made, but in 2008 the Corn Refiners Association began a $50 million dollar marketing campaign labeling HFCS as “corn sugar”. They are now being sued by a group of sugar farmers and refiners who believe the name change will confuse consumers and harm the sugar industry.
This issue saw significant media attention on September 13, 2011 as The Corn Refiners Association filed a motion to dismiss which U.S. District Judge Consuelo Marshall is currently considering.
While the legal decision is pending, Citizens for Health, one of the nation’s most respected consumer advocacy groups, has launched a new website, FoodIdentityTheft.com, to alert and inform Americans about misleading labeling on many food, beverage and health products.
FoodIdentityTheft.com provides current information on many vital issues, beginning with the controversy surrounding the proposed name change of High Fructose Corn Syrup.
“Many consumers believe that the U.S. government will protect us from false advertising or stop corporations from making unproven claims about their products,” said FoodIdentityTheft.com Senior Editor, Linda Bonvie, in a press release. “But the truth is, corporations have a huge influence in Washington. We as consumers have to protect ourselves, stay informed, and tell our legislators and government agencies that we won’t accept being lied to.”
