For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder
By MELANIE WARNER

FOR much of 2009, Michael Locascio, an executive at ConAgra Foods, watched with concern as the bad news about high-fructose corn syrup kept coming.

In January, there were studies showing that samples of the sweetener contained the toxic metal mercury. Then came a popular Facebook page that was critical of the syrup. By year-end, there were about a dozen spoofs on YouTube mocking efforts by makers of high-fructose corn syrup to show that science is on their side.

But it was pleading comments like this one, from a devoted ConAgra customer, that finally persuaded Mr. Locascio, president of the meal enhancers category at ConAgra, to take action: “Hunt’s is by far the best ketchup ever, but please start making a variety without the high-fructose corn syrup,” wrote Jennifer from New Hampshire.

Early this year, she got her wish when ConAgra decided to reformulate one of its biggest brands, replacing the high-fructose corn syrup in Hunt’s ketchup with old-fashioned sugar. This month, new bottles featuring a banner proclaiming “No high fructose corn syrup” arrive in stores.

Hunt’s ketchup is among the latest in a string of major-brand products that have replaced the vilified sweetener. Gatorade, several Kraft salad dressings, Wheat Thins, Ocean Spray cranberry juice, Pepsi Throwback, Mountain Dew Throwback and the baked goods at Starbucks, to name a few, are all now made with regular sugar.

What started as a narrow movement by proponents of natural and organic foods has morphed into a swell of mainstream opposition, thanks in large part to tools of modern activism like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter and movies like “Food, Inc.” and “King Corn.”

As a result, sales of the ingredient have fallen in the United States. Charlie Mills, an analyst at Credit Suisse, says that the combined United States sales of high-fructose corn syrup for Archer Daniels Midland, Tate & Lyle and Corn Products International were down 9 percent in 2009, compared with 2007. A further decline is expected this year, he says.

This is happening even though many scientists say that high-fructose corn syrup is no worse for people than sugar, which costs some 40 percent more.

“Manufacturers are tired of hearing about the e-mails, the 800-number calls and the letters,” says Phil Lempert, editor of the Lempert Report, which focuses on supermarket trends. “People don’t want it, so why fight them?”

More at:
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Jill, that's exactly why I've gone to making my own baked goods, etc. The added bonus is that I am not much of a sweets person, so I can cut back the sugar in whatever I'm making to the bare minimum.

But some days it's really annoying to have to make multiples of something, like 4 loaves of bread (2 for DH, 2 for me) when I'm really busy.

For years I've tried hard to avoid products containing HFCS. Now with my efforts to avoid sugar because of family history of diabetes I find that there are a ton of products out there loaded with either HFCS or sugar. Try going through the bread aisle and finding more than one or two products that do NOT contain HFCS! I've also noticed recently though that more and more products display "Contains no high-fructose corn syrup" on their labels. I really don't know which is better, if either. There is no nutritional value in either so my goal is to avoid as much of both as possible. It is not easy, and I don't want to end up consuming fake sugars either so I find I spend far more time at the grocery store reading labels and searching for foods that meet my needs.

Jill