Consumer Protests Compel Food Makers to Remove High Fructose Corn Syrup

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In response to a backlash from consumers, a growing number of food and beverage companies have changed their recipes to remove industrial sweeteners that people find objectionable.  High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) for instance, named as the most important ingredient to avoid by consumer advocate group Citizens for Health, has drawn negative publicity in past years, causing concerned consumers to ask that businesses remove it from their products.  The food and beverage industry is listening, replacing HFCS with natural cane or beet sugar.

"Consumer discontent is the one thing strong enough to force food and drink manufacturers to change their ways and replace questionable ingredients with something better," said Jim Turner of Citizens for Health.

Rather than abandoning brands that contain controversial ingredients, consumers are using social media, personal blogs and online petitions to urge companies to change what goes into their products.  Even First Lady Michele Obama went public, saying at a recent White House event, "Our bodies don't know what to do with High Fructose Corn Syrup, and don't need it."

Food and beverage makers are responding to mounting negative comments.  Ingredient changes include:

• Sara Lee's removal of HFCS from its Soft & Smooth and 100% Whole Wheat Breads because their consumers, particularly moms, asked them to.
• Kraft Foods' elimination of HFCS from its Capri Sun Juice Drinks, Nabisco Wheat Thins and Premium crackers, and many of its salad dressings.
• Subway's removal HFCS from its sandwich breads.
• Pepsi's introduction of a new line of soft drinks "made with real sugar."
• Yoplait's eradication of HFCS from all products, citing the change came from Tweets and emails from customers.
• Chick-fil-A's taking High Fructose Corn Syrup out of its sauces and dressings.
• Kroger Supermarkets removing HFCS from its store-brand cereals following surveys with consumers.
• Wild Oats announcing a new line of products at Walmart stores will not contain "the unwanted ingredient" HFCS.

"Americans are telling food makers to change their recipes, and it's working," added Turner.  "Over the past decade, the use of High Fructose Corn Syrup in packaged foods and drinks has fallen 18%. We're definitely moving in the right direction."

More information is available at www.citizens.org.

SOURCE Citizens for Health