High fructose corn syrup is sweeter than it sounds.
The Corn Refiners Association recently petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to change the name of "high fructose corn syrup" to "corn sugar."
The CRA claims vague scientific reports and fallacious media reports on the health risks of high fructose corn syrup leave the average consumer puzzled.
"High fructose corn syrup is developed from corn sugar, which contains half glucose and half fructose," said Jean Weese, poultry science professor and coordinator of Extension Food Safety Programs. "But most of what you read about high fructose corn syrup is not true--it is actually better than table sugar."
There are many inaccurate perceptions pertaining to the health risks of high fructose corn syrup, perpetuated especially by commercials and ads.
As a result, high fructose corn syrup has a negative reputation.
"Well-renowned nutritionists question whether sweetener confusion could lead consumers to make misinformed decisions about sugars in their diets," according to the CRA press release.
Some researchers and consumers associate corn syrup with the "obesity epidemic" in the United States.
"Somehow this has become the evil sugar," Weese said. "There have been some studies that have shown that it reacts differently in the body, which we knew from the onset of adding it to foods."
The CRA said they primarily want consumers to be aware of what they eat.
"Consumers need to know what is in their foods and where their foods come from, and we want to be clear with them," said CRA president Audrae Erickson in the press release.
The difference in high fructose corn syrup and sugar is chemical.
"I believe that the main factor is just the amount of calories taken in versus calories used in our lives and that there is little difference between high fructose corn syrup and table sugar in the way that our bodies use them," said Dennis Delaney, extension specialist in agronomy and soils.
However, altering the name of high fructose corn syrup to corn sugar does not change the chemical makeup.
"Changing the name doesn't change what you're taking in," said Douglas White, associate professor in nutrition and food science. "It's more of a PR thing to me. There are no health risks as long as we take it in moderation."
Changing the name is also unlikely to alter corn production in Alabama, according to the National Corn Growers Association.
Approximately 3.5 percent of all U.S.-produced corn is for the production of high fructose corn syrup.
"Most corn utilized in the U.S., and particularly in Alabama, goes for animal feed--especially chickens here," Delaney said. "Corn syrup is an important, but not huge part of the market."
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