View source for Public relations of high fructose corn syrup

{{short description|Overview of public relations campaigns}}
Critics and competitors of [[high-fructose corn syrup]] (HFCS), notably the [[sugar industry]], have for many years used various public relations campaigns to claim the sweetener causes certain health conditions, despite the lack of scientific evidence that HFCS differs nutritionally from sugar.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2012/10/sugar-industry-lies-campaign |title=Big Sugar's Sweet Little Lies |publisher=Mother Jones magazine |date= November–December 2012 |access-date=October 4, 2013}}</ref>  The HFCS industry has tried to respond to these campaigns with their own efforts.
==Labeling as "natural"==
In May 2006, the [[Center for Science in the Public Interest]] (CSPI) threatened to file a lawsuit against [[Cadbury Schweppes]] for labeling [[7 Up]] as "All Natural" or "100% Natural",<ref>{{cite web | title = CSPI to Sue Cadbury Schweppes over "All Natural" 7UP | date = 11 May 2006 | publisher = [[Center for Science in the Public Interest]] | url = http://www.cspinet.org/new/200605111.html | access-date = 2007-11-17 | archive-date = 2016-03-03 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160303173912/http://www.cspinet.org/new/200605111.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> despite the presence of high-fructose corn syrup.  The [[Food and Drug Administration|U.S. Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) has no general definition of "natural"; however, FDA regulations define "natural flavoring" to include products of vegetables.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div8&view=text&node=21:2.0.1.1.2.2.1.1&idno=21 |title=21 Code of Federal Regulations § 101.22 |publisher=Ecfr.gpoaccess.gov |access-date=2010-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110612201543/http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=ac3815539ab52cd7c49d738eb6c6e7c8&rgn=div8&view=text&node=21:2.0.1.1.2.2.1.1&idno=21 |archive-date=2011-06-12 |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Current FDA policy is that it does not object to labeling HFCS as "natural."<ref>[http://www.corn.org/FDAdecision7-7-08.pdf Letter to Corn Refiners Association, July 3, 2008] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920033711/http://www.corn.org/FDAdecision7-7-08.pdf |date=September 20, 2010 }}</ref>  The CSPI also state that HFCS is not a "natural" ingredient due to the high level of processing and the use of at least one [[genetically modified organism|genetically modified]] (GMO) enzyme required to produce it. On January 12, 2007, [[Cadbury Schweppes]] agreed to stop calling 7 Up "all natural".<ref>{{Cite news| url=http://www.beveragedaily.com/Products/Cadbury-scraps-natural-label-on-7UP | title=Cadbury scraps 'natural' label on 7UP | author=Lorraine Heller | date=2007-01-15 | access-date=2008-12-15}}</ref>  They now label it "100% Natural Flavors".<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.7up.com/7uptext/7up.asp | title=7UP, Now 100% Natural Flavors | publisher=Dr Pepper/Seven Up | year=2007 | access-date=2007-09-24}}</ref>
==HFCS advertisements==
In September 2008, the [[Corn Refiners Association]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.corn.org |title=Corn Refiners Association homepage |publisher=Corn.org |access-date=2010-11-06}}</ref> launched a series of United States [[television advertisement]]s that stated that HFCS "is made from corn", "is [[natural foods|natural]]" (changed from previously stated "doesn't have artificial [[ingredient]]s"), "has the same [[calorie]]s as [[sucrose|sugar]] or [[honey]]", "is [[nutrition]]ally the same as sugar", and "is fine in [[moderation]]", in the hopes of keeping consumers from avoiding HFCS products.  The ads feature actors portraying roles in upbeat domestic situations with sugary foods, with one actor disparaging a food's HFCS content but being unable to explain why, and another actor questioning the comments with these claims.  Finally, the ads each make reference to the Corn Refiners Association website.<ref>[http://www.sweetsurprise.com/ http://www.sweetsurprise.com/], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEbRxTOyGf0 YouTube], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FganBP8JB0c YouTube] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110511151528/http://www.sweetsurprise.com/ |date=May 11, 2011 }}</ref>{{failed verification|date=February 2014}}
2010 Corn Refiners Association ads feature parents walking through a corn field, talking about children's nutrition concerns and being confused by recent HFCS information. So they consulted "medical and nutrition experts" and discovered that "Whether it's corn sugar or cane sugar, your body can't tell the difference."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://consumerist.com/2010/09/hfcs-rebrands-as-corn-sugar.html |title=HFCS Rebranding As "Corn Sugar" – Consumerist |publisher=Consumerist.com |date=2010-09-14 |access-date=2013-03-27}}</ref>
[[Michael F. Jacobson|Michael Jacobson]], executive director of the [[Center for Science in the Public Interest]], called the advertisements "deceptive",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cspinet.org/new/200806231.html |title=Corn Refiners' Ad Campaign Called Deceptive* |author=Jacobson, Michael F |date=June 23, 2008 |work= [[Center for Science in the Public Interest]] |access-date=June 29, 2010}}</ref> stating: "High-fructose corn syrup starts out as cornstarch, which is chemically or enzymatically degraded to glucose and some short polymers of glucose. Another enzyme is then used to convert varying fractions of glucose into fructose...High-fructose corn syrup just doesn't exist in nature." However, Jacobson also stated that: "The special harmfulness of high-fructose corn syrup has become one of those urban myths that sounds right, but is basically wrong. Nutritionally, high-fructose corn syrup and sucrose may be identical."<ref name="lisa">{{Cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1841910,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919034121/http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1841910,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 19, 2008 |title=Is High-Fructose Corn Syrup Really Good for You? |author=McLaughlin, Lisa |date=September 17, 2008 |work=[[Time Magazine]] |access-date=June 19, 2010}}</ref>
Since HFCS is present in a "staggering" amount of food in the US, and in most foods marketed to children, there are doubts as to whether it can be consumed in moderation: {{quote|...unless you're making a concerted effort to avoid it, it's pretty difficult to consume high-fructose corn syrup in moderation<ref name=lisa/>|[[Time Magazine|''Time'' magazine]]}}
==Moves back to sugar==
A March 21, 2009 ''[[The New York Times]]'' article said that some food companies and restaurants were using sugar in their product as a selling point in order to attract customers who prefer not to consume high-fructose corn syrup. As one example, the article cited [[Jason's Deli]], a chain of delis with 200 restaurants in 27 states. The chain had replaced high-fructose corn syrup with sugar in everything except a few soft drinks. Daniel Helfman, a spokesman for the deli chain, was quoted as saying, "Part of this is a huge rebellion against HFCS... but part of it is taste."<ref>
{{Cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/dining/21sugar.html
| title = Sugar Is Back on Food Labels, This Time as a Selling Point
| author = Kim severson
| work = [[The New York Times]]
| date = March 21, 2009
}}</ref>
[[PepsiCo]] recently put forth a "[[Throwback (drink)|throwback]]" version of Mountain Dew and Pepsi-Cola, designed to taste the same as these drinks did in the 1960s and 1970s. One aspect of the formulation is that sugar is used instead of HFCS. PepsiCo stated that HFCS and sugar are "essentially the same" and that the only reason HFCS was eschewed was in order to accurately reflect the taste of the past.<ref>February 26, 2009 [http://www.bevreview.com/2009/02/26/official-facts-about-pepsi-throwback-mountain-dew-throwback/ Official Facts about Pepsi Throwback & Mountain Dew Throwback] Bevreview.com</ref> [[Dr Pepper]] also released a "heritage" version of Dr Pepper Soda in 2009 that was made to the original formula and used beet sugar instead of HFCS.  Since its establishment in 1891, the [[Dr Pepper]] bottling plant in Dublin, TX has continued to use the original formula sweetened with Imperial Cane Sugar (see [[Dublin Dr Pepper]]).<ref>[http://www.dublindrpepper.com/history.aspx Dublin Dr Pepper History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051204015526/http://www.dublindrpepper.com/history.aspx |date=2005-12-04 }} dublindrpepper.com</ref> In addition, the [[Coca-Cola]] bottling plant in the [[Lehigh Valley]], [[Pennsylvania]], and most [[Coca-Cola]] bottling plants in Europe also uses sucrose.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lehighvalleycoke.com/default.asp |title=Coca-Cola Bottling Lehigh Valley |publisher=Lehighvalleycoke.com |access-date=2010-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100820185134/http://www.lehighvalleycoke.com/default.asp |archive-date=2010-08-20 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[Mexican Coke|Sucrose-based Mexican imports]] of Coca-Cola and other soft drinks are getting increasing penetration into US markets.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mexican Coke a Welcome Addition...|url=http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/massmarkets/2011/09/12/mexican-coke-is-a-welcome-addition-to-stop-shop-shelves|access-date=31 May 2012}}</ref>
In May 2010, [[Hunt's]] removed high-fructose corn syrup from its [[ketchup]] due to buyer preference as a result of health concerns,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/05/17/article/high_fructose_corn_syrup_cut_from_hunts_ketchup
|title=High-fructose corn syrup cut from Hunt's ketchup|work=[[News & Record]]|agency=Associated Press|date=2010-05-17|access-date=2010-05-17}}</ref> but has since put High Fructose Corn Syrup back in their ketchup.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://consumerist.com/2013/01/30/hunts-manages-to-sneak-high-fructose-corn-syrup-back-into-its-ketchup-after-2-years-without/|title=Hunt's Manages To Sneak High-Fructose Corn Syrup Back Into Its Ketchup After 2 Years Without|work=[[News & Record]]|agency=Associated Press|date=2013-01-30|access-date=2013-12-18}}</ref> Heinz now offers a ketchup made with sugar instead of HFCS called "Simply Heinz."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.heinzketchup.com/Products/Simply%20Heinz%20Ketchup%2034oz|title=Simply Heinz product page}}</ref>
Popular campaigns by nutritional experts and belief by a rapidly increasing faction of the consuming public in the United States that high-fructose corn syrup has harmful health effects continues to result in increasing reformulation of popular processed foods and reduced sales of HFCS by 9% in 2009 as compared with 2007. Known health risks include weight gain/obesity, type-2 diabetes, elevated LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, long-term liver damage and mercury exposure.<ref>{{Cite news
| url = https://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/02/business/02syrup.html
| title = For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder
| author = Melanie Warner
| work = [[The New York Times]]
| date = April 30, 2010
}}</ref>
Ivan Royster of South Carolina, now residing in [[Raleigh, North Carolina]] began a [[Facebook]] page which has grown to over 190,000 fans, lobbying for the ban of HFCS in the U.S. An article recently published by ''[[Organic Connections]]'' magazine covered Ivan's protest and the Corn Refiners Association's counter to his efforts. The article includes links to Ivan's Facebook page and a [[High-fructose corn syrup#Bocarsly et al.|study]] on HFCS.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/2010/05/the-impact-of-one-mans-outrage/ |title=The Impact of One Man's Outrage, ''Organic Connections'' |publisher=Organicconnectmag.com |access-date=2010-11-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101008212026/http://organicconnectmag.com/wp/2010/05/the-impact-of-one-mans-outrage/ |archive-date=2010-10-08 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
==Proposed name change to corn sugar==
On September 14, 2010, the Corn Refiners Association applied for permission to use the name "corn sugar" in place of "high-fructose corn syrup" on food labels for products sold in the United States. According to a press release, "Consumers need to know what is in their foods and where their foods come from and we want to be clear with them," said CRA president Audrae Erickson. "The term 'corn sugar' succinctly and accurately describes what this natural ingredient is and where it comes from – corn."<ref>{{cite press release| title=CORN REFINERS PETITION FDA FOR USE OF "CORN SUGAR" AS ALTERNATE NAME FOR HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP ELIMINATING CONSUMER CONFUSION IS THE GOAL |url=http://www.corn.org/corn-sugar-fda-petition.html |access-date=June 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101026082947/http://www.corn.org/corn-sugar-fda-petition.html |archive-date=October 26, 2010 }}</ref>  The association, however, did not provide clarification as to a change in what the FDA already considers corn sugar, i.e., [[dextrose]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/fcn/fcnDetailNavigation.cfm?rpt=scogsListing&id=94 |title=Database of Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) Reviews |publisher=Accessdata.fda.gov |date=2006-10-31 |access-date=2010-11-06}}</ref> or any of the other corn-derived sugars such as [[corn syrup]] and [[maltodextrin]].
''[[Time (magazine)|TIME]]'' stated that the CRA's decision to change the name of HFCS was because HFCS had such a bad reputation.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://healthland.time.com/2010/09/14/high-fructose-corn-syrup-might-get-a-makeover/ |title=High Fructose Corn Syrup Wants A New Name |author=Melnick, Meredith |date=September 14, 2010 |work=[[Time Magazine]] |access-date=October 27, 2010}}</ref>  In response to the proposed name change, ''[[The New York Times]]'' ran an article asking nutrition experts what they would suggest as appropriate names for HFCS. Three of the five experts recommended alternate names, including [[Michael Pollan]] who suggested "enzymatically altered corn glucose". Dr. [[Andrew Weil]] recommended not changing from HFCS, calling the term corn sugar "too vague" and the CRA's attempt to change HFCS's name "[[Orwellian]]". However Dr. [[Barry Popkin]] felt that "corn sugar" was an appropriate term.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/23/help-rename-high-fructose-corn-syrup/ |title=Help Rename High-Fructose Corn Syrup - NYTimes.com |work= The New York Times|access-date=November 5, 2010 |first=Tara |last=Parker-Pope |date=2010-09-23}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/andrew-weil-md/fortunately-corn-sugar-ha_b_738324.html |title=Fortunately, 'Corn Sugar' Has Become a Sticky PR Mess |author=Andrew Weil |author-link=Andrew Weil |date=September 24, 2010 |work=[[The Huffington Post]] |access-date=October 27, 2010}}</ref>
On May 31, 2012, the Food and Drug Administration ultimately rejected the petition.<ref name="Landa, Michael, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition">{{cite news |url=https://www.fda.gov/AboutFDA/CentersOffices/OfficeofFoods/CFSAN/CFSANFOIAElectronicReadingRoom/ucm305226.htm |title=Response to Petition from Corn Refiners Association to Authorize "Corn Sugar" as an Alternate Common or Usual Name for High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) |author=Landa, Michael, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition|date=May 31, 2012 |work=[[Food and Drug Administration]] |access-date=July 2, 2012}}</ref>  In its decision, the FDA defined sugar as a "solid, dried and crystallized food" while syrup was "an aqueous solution or liquid food."  In addition, the term "corn sugar" had already been approved as another name for dextrose, which has been commonly used as a food ingredient since the 1970s.  Among the public health concerns cited were those individuals with [[hereditary fructose intolerance]] or [[fructose malabsorption]], who have been advised to avoid ingredients that contain fructose.  While individuals with fructose allergies have associated "corn sugar" ([[dextrose]]) to be an acceptable ingredient to their health when "high-fructose corn syrup" is not, changing the name of HFCS to "corn sugar" could put these individuals at risk.<ref name="Landa, Michael, Director, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition"/>
==See also==
* [[Citizens for Health]]
* [[High-fructose corn syrup and health]]
* ''[[That Sugar Film]]''
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{corn}}
{{Consumer Food Safety}}
[[Category:Corn-based sweeteners]]
[[Category:Public relations]]