Consumer Benefits and Controversy of High Fructose Corn Syrup

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The Bittersweet Truth to High Fructose Corn Syrup

This paper is about high fructose corn syrup, a widely used sweetener made from corn. It discusses the history behind it and explains the process through which it is made and why it is used so widely. It also discusses the link between high fructose corn syrup and obesity. This research paper provides and in-depth explanation of the consumer advantages of high fructose corn syrup as well as the controversy behind its labeling as natural.

Most people cannot resist the sweet taste of candy, cookies, cake, or anything else you can think of. The majority of Americans have plenty of these products in their pantries, ready to be eaten. These people think that they are just eating junk food full of sugar, but almost everything that is sweet that you buy at the supermarket is chock full of something even worse, high fructose corn syrup. High fructose corn syrup is extremely soluble and mixes well in many foods. A lot of companies are willing to use it because it is cheap to produce in large quantities, unbelievably sweet and tasty, and extremely easy to store. There is a lot of controversy over high fructose corn syrup because of its questionable health effects, taste, and labeling as a natural ingredient. Even though high fructose corn syrup is a relatively recent development in food products around the world, there is a lot of history behind how it is made and why it is used in such a variety of edible goods.

A scientist named Yoshiyuki Matsuoka-Naoi Takasaki patented high fructose corn syrup in 1971 while working for a government-affiliated laboratory in a large city in Japan. But it wasn't until 2001, shortly after the United States of America Surgeon General, Dr. Da...

... middle of paper ...

... and the rest of the world will find themselves in an inescapable abyss.

Works Cited

B. Guggenheim, Zurich. Health and Sugar Substitutes. Switzerland: S. Karger, 1979

Forristal, Linda Joyce. "The Murky World of High-Fructose Corn Syrup." In the Kitchen with Mother Linda. 12 Mar 2003. The Weston A. Prince Foundation . 28 Jul 2007 .

"High Fructose Corn Syrup Facts." HFCS Facts. 2007. The Corn Refiners Association. 23 Jul 2007 .

Hopkins, Kate. "Why Coke Uses High fructose corn syrup." Accidental Hedonist. 01 Jan 2006. 23 Jul 2007 .

National Academy of Sciences. Sweeteners Issues and Certainties. 4th Edition. Washington D.C.: Academy Forum, 1975.

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