The Corn Refiners Association asked to use the new name on food labels, but the FDA "could take two years to render a decision." In the meantime, "the industry has begun using the term in its advertising" online and on television.
High-fructose corn syrup has been criticized and "consumption of the sweetener has fallen to a 20-year low because of concerns that it is more likely to cause obesity or [is] otherwise more harmful than ordinary sugar." While there is little scientific evidence for these concerns, "some scientists have linked consumption of full calorie soda - most of which is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup - to obesity."
Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said that sugar "and high-fructose corn syrup are nutritionally the same, and there is no evidence that the sweetener is any worse for the body than sugar."
The American Medical Association "says there's not enough evidence to restrict the use of high-fructose corn syrup, although it wants more research."
To read the Washington Post story, click here.
Posted: 09/15/2010
