FDA Says Ya Know What? High-Fructose Corn Syrup Ain't Corn Sugar

FDA Says Ya Know What? High-Fructose Corn Syrup Ain't Corn Sugar:


Dealing what is surely a might blow to proponents of those in the corn industry, the Food and Drug Administration denied the Corn Refiners Association's petition today to allow for high-fructose corn syrup to be renamed "corn sugar." The FDA laid it all out in the form of a letter to the group's president, Audrae Erickson.

In the letter dated May 30, 2010 and titled "Response to Petition from Corn Refiners Association to Authorize "Corn Sugar" as an Alternate Common or Usual Name for High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)" Michael Landa, Director of the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition explains the reasons why the Sept. 14, 2010 petition is being denied.

We picked out some of the pertinent parts below:

As explained below, your petition does not provide sufficient grounds for the agency to authorize "corn sugar" as an alternate common or usual name for HFCS.

First, you contend consumers are confused by the name "high fructose corn syrup" and that the proposed alternate name "corn sugar" more closely reflects consumer expectations and more accurately describes the basic nature of HFCS and its characterizing properties.

This is based on consumers' perception of HFCS that it's higher in calories, fructose and sweetness than sugar, and that "corn sugar" is more accurate as to how the common folk see it, among other reasons, according to the CRA.

Too bad, says the FDA.

However, FDA's regulatory approach for the nomenclature of sugar and syrups is that sugar is a solid, dried, and crystallized food; whereas syrup is an aqueous solution or liquid food.

Then the FDA goes all chemistry, explaining different kinds of dextroses and such. Basically, that all isn't going to fly with the FDA, as corn sugar would imply that HFCS isn't what it is, which is that "aqueous solution sweetener."

Here's where our brains went a bit fuzzy with the rest of the reasoning, but it all boils down to the fact that according to the government, high-fructose corn syrup just ain't corn sugar.

Response to Petition from Corn Refiners Association to Authorize "Corn Sugar" as an Alternate Common or Usual Name for High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) [FDA.gov]