High fructose corn syrup, like table sugar and honey, is composed of fructose and glucose, which are found in many naturally-occurring fruits, vegetables and nuts. And high fructose corn syrup has the same number of calories as sugar and honey – 4 per gram.

For the most part, you’ll find high fructose corn syrup in the same kinds of products in which you would find sugar or other sweeteners. At the same time, corn sweeteners offer some unique functional benefits that help companies offer more choices in food products. High fructose corn syrup keeps foods fresh, enhances fruit and spice flavors, retains moisture in bran cereals, helps keep breakfast and energy bars moist, maintains consistent flavors in beverages, and keeps ingredients evenly dispersed in condiments.

Price may have prompted manufacturers to switch from sugar to high fructose corn syrup 30 years ago, but it is no longer a primary factor, since high fructose corn syrup has specific and unique functional qualities not shared by sugar. In addition, the price of corn is rising substantially due to demand.

There’s a lot of solid research and information at http://www.SweetSurprise.com and http://www.HFCSFacts.com. Thank you for your consideration.

On another note, I have yet to find its equal in making stage blood.

http://www.teaandfood.blogspot.com

Of course due to other advertising campaigns we all know that “milk does a body good” and “pork is the other white meat,” I just hope “duh, it’s corn” doesn’t become entrenched in our lexicon.

I’m still not sure I believe that HFC is the same as sugar. We thought Hydrogenated Oil was good for us for years — that turned out to be dead wrong.

I do agree with Avi that a main part of the issue is the over sweetening of freaking everything. I think the idea of advertising HFC is just frightening. The more I learn though, the more I dislike this entire type of advertising. The Milk lobby has everyone convinced they need to drink tons of milk and that’s just not true.

Hilla – sing it sister – not all suagrs are created the same (trust me on this one – I know from whence I speak:)

Gersh – right on! My favorite PJism “Earnestness is just stupidity gone to college” v’hamayvin . . . .

I hadn’t seen the tv version yet Dory – thanks!

Thanks for the clarification about other types of sweeteners Hilla – lord knows I love me some maple syrup!

Thanks Gersh – hemorrhaging valentines! That’s great.

Hilla:
The only reason that other sweeteners aren’t as cheap as corn syrup is that they are unsubsidized.

Even though he’s a bit far right for the hemorrhaging valentines of the JCarrot commentariat, P.J. O’Rourke’s thinking about agricultural subsidies over 20 years ago (in Parliament of Whores) is prescient: “Here at last is a simple problem with a simple solution. Drag the omnibus farm bill behind the barn, and kill it with an ax.”

I disagree re: “sugar is sugar.” HFCS and white sugar are processed to the point where there is no nutritional value. Better sweeteners are maple syrup, rice syrup, date sugar, agave, molasses, rapadura, raw honey, and others. They each have different advantages which can include vitamins, minerals, enzymes, complex carbohydrates, etc. But higher quality sweeteners are not dirt cheap as is HFCS, so I doubt they will make their way into supermarket food any time soon.