FDA Petitioned to Protect Public from Illegal Use of Non-Approved High Fructose Corn Syrup

WASHINGTON, Aug. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Citizens for Health, one of the nation's oldest and most respected consumer action groups, has filed a petition with the Food & Drug Administration that seeks to protect consumers from the illegal use of the man-made sweetener High Fructose Corn Syrup (or HFCS) that contains concentrations of fructose above 55%.  The FDA has only authorized the use of HCFS in foods and beverages at or below 55% fructose concentration – the level generally recognized as safe. But concentration levels as high as 90% fructose have been reported to be used by some food producers.

To protect consumers, the Citizens for Health petition is asking the FDA (Docket # 2012-P-0904) to initiate enforcement actions against food makers who continue to use High Fructose Corn Syrup that contains illegal, non-approved amounts of fructose over 55%.

The Citizens for Health petition also requests that the FDA modify its High Fructose Corn Syrup labeling policy so that the percentage concentration of fructose shall be incorporated into the ingredient name and clearly identified on food and beverage packaging (e.g., High Fructose Corn Syrup with 42% fructose would be labeled High Fructose Corn Syrup 42).

"HFCS is a controversial industrial sweetener used extensively in the food industry, and consumers have been led to believe that only approved levels of fructose are used in the foods they buy," said Jim Turner, who chairs Citizens for Health and who authored the petition. "But it is common knowledge in the food industry that HFCS with concentrations as high as 90% are manufactured. This non-approved food additive poses serious threats to consumer safety. It is widely recognized that fructose has negative effects on the body and has been clinically linked to obesity."

Consumers can express their concerns and opinions at: http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/750/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=11463.

Citizens for Health will deliver all comments to the FDA.

About Citizens for Health

Funded by concerned consumers, non-profit partners, food growers, and businesses, Citizens for Health is a non-profit organization providing over 130,000 supporters with consumer news, action alerts, and ways to demand access to healthy food, non-toxic products, and truthful, non-misleading health information.  More information is available at www.citizens.org.

SOURCE Citizens for Health