The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has started a petition urging the FDA to determine safe limits on high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners in soft drinks. Public health departments in various cities around the United States, including Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Baltimore are supporting this proposal. You can find the petition by visiting the CSPI web site. Nutritionists say that a typical 20-ounce bottle of soda contains 16 teaspoons (more than 5 tablespoons, or 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) of sugar from high fructose corn syrup. That is twice the daily limit recommended by the American Heart Association. That organization says that "although sugars are not harmful to the body, our bodies don't need sugars to function properly. Added sugars contribute … [Read more...]

The FDA has rejected a petition by the Corn Refiners Association to change the name of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to "corn sugar". The government said that "sugar is a solid, dried and crystallized food, whereas syrup is an aqueous solution or liquid food. ... Instead, HFCS is an aqueous solution sweetener derived from corn after enzymatic hydrolysis of cornstarch, followed by enzymatic conversion of glucose to fructose." In rejecting the HFCS name change petition, the agency also stated that the term "corn sugar" is used to describe dextrose, which is a safe sugar for people with heredity fructose intolerance or fructose malabsorption, who must avoid fructose. In the denial, the FDA stated that "changing the name for HFCS to 'corn sugar' could put these individuals at risk and … [Read more...]