Saturday, November 26, 2011

Sorry guys, but "Corn sugar" is already claimed....

In their never ending campaign to deceive the American public, the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is seeking FDA approval to relabel "High Fructose Corn Syrup" as "Corn Sugar."  Here's the entry for "Corn Sugar" from Wikipedia; clearly CRA has been hard at work!





So, what's the problem?  Well, given that the CRA even states on their site (appropriately named "cornsugar.com") that "Corn Sugar" is an "FDA-approved alternate label for dextrose, a corn-based sweetener that contains no fructose," one might think they would go back to the drawing board in their never-ending quest for a new name for HFCS?:



Oh, that's really just a pesky little detail.  Something so insignificant wouldn't stop King Corn in their mission!  And moreover, according to the CRA's website, "Relabeling high fructose corn syrup as “corn sugar” clears up confusion and enables consumers to easily identify added sugars in the diet. Docket FDA-2010-P-0491"  Wow.  So, relabeling would clear up confusion?  Um, that's a very interesting use of the word "confusion"! Or maybe it's the "clears up" that's a little murky....  And again, CRA does actually point out on that same page: "'Corn sugar' is currently a little-used label name for dextrose, which we are seeking to change."

Rather than adopting a label already in use by another altogether different product, wouldn't it be easier either to (a) stick with the existing label, or (b) come up with a new label that doesn't require changing another product's label? 

Wait a minute....  I've got it!  
  • It's a label not currently being used by anyone.
  • No mention of "fructose."
  • It's got the word "sugar" rather than "syrup."
  • It's simple and "natural," just like HFCS....
  • It's an absolutely perfect new label for High Fructose Corn Syrup!


Audrae Erickson, whatever would you do if there weren't people like me to do your job for you?


For more information on this topic, please see: Marion Nestle's article: "Sorry, Corn Refiners: The Name 'Corn Sugar' Is Already Taken"

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