High fructose corn syrup takes a hit

Dear Friend,

Hold on to your hats, folks, the FDA did something right for a change. Believe me, I'm just as shocked as you are. Recently, the government agency ruled that products containing high fructose corn syrup can't be labeled as "natural."

This may not sound like a big deal to you, but in the food and beverage industry, this is a huge ruling. I've warned you about the dangers of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) in the past, but it still seems to be everywhere. You can't swing a dead cat in a grocery store (not that you're likely to do such a thing) without hitting dozens of products chock-full of HFCS.

How bad is it? American children are eating and drinking 62 pounds of this one sweetener ever year. There's loads of HFCS in everything kids (and many adults) eat and drink -- soda, "fruit" drinks, cookies, gum, jelly, and baked goods. And that's only a partial list. In fact, the national consumption of this hidden junk food grew from zero in 1966 to 62.6 pounds per person by 2001!

But the controversy isn't whether or not HFCS is healthy; it's whether or not it's natural. The Corn Refiners Association insists that it's a natural sweetener because it's derived from a natural product, but the FDA doesn't buy it.

Good for them.

This new ruling that put the whammy on HFCS was in response to an inquiry by FoodNavigator-USA.com, an online consumer watchdog site. When the FDA checked the composition of HFCS, they discovered that synthetic fixing agents are used in the manufacturing process – and this violates the FDA's standard policy on the term "natural," which states that a natural product "is one that has not had any artificial or synthetic substances added to the product that would not normally be expected to be in the food."

Don't get me wrong – it's not as though people will stop chugging HFCS-laden sodas because of this ruling. And many of the HFCS products out there are not labeled as natural to begin with—no one has ever considered a bottle of soda a health drink. But at least going forward, this ruling will put the brakes on any future "misinterpretations" (read: marketing B.S.) by food manufacturers who have lots of HFCS in their products.

Take my advice – if you're checking labels the next time at the grocery store, when you see high-fructose corn syrup OR sugar near the top of the ingredient list, just put whatever it is back on the shelf. You'll be healthier for it.