by Vito Rispo





High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has a bad rap these days. For a while now, there has been a very vocal group saying HFCS is the root of all the obesity and diabetes in the United States. And the Corn Refiners Association has finally decided to fight back.



Most medical research says it’s the calories, rather than the type of sweetener, that makes a difference to a person’s health. And sugar and high-fructose corn syrup have identical calorie counts. It’s just the fact that we eat and drink so damn much of it. The average American consumes almost 70 pounds of High Fructose Corn syrup every year. That’s a lot of Fructose.

That lack of a consensus is exactly what the Corn Refiners Association is banking on. They’re investing in a whole ad campaign designed to build a more natural image for their sweetener. They have two websites, SweetSurprise.com and HFCSfacts.com, and a few commercials.

I’m still unconvinced by their commercials. They’re not informative and seem to play on the ambiguous nature of the issue. Still, this is their first try, you can bet there will be more and they’ll keep getting better.