Shape Up America! Calls on FDA to Keep the Name 'High Fructose Corn Syrup'

Raises Concerns That a Name Change May Deter Consumers From Taking Steps to Reduce Their Risk of Obesity

WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- As the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes steps to improve the content and accuracy of food and beverage labeling, one of the leading organizations combating the nation's obesity epidemic is pressing FDA not to change one important aspect of the existing label – how the sweetener high fructose corn syrup is listed on the ingredient panel.  

In a letter to the agency docket, Shape Up America! – the anti-obesity campaign launched by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop – took aim against a petition filed by the Corn Refiners Association to change the name of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to "corn sugar," contending this name change may deter consumers from taking steps to reduce their risk of obesity.  Citing a number of scientific studies linking increased consumption of fructose, largely in the form of high fructose corn syrup, with obesity as well as specific health problems, Shape Up America! urged FDA to reject the petition so Americans will not be led into believing that "corn sugar" is somehow different and more nutritious than "high fructose corn syrup" when this is not the case.

"FDA should not take any steps that may increase the consumption of high fructose corn syrup by giving the substance a new name that could mislead Americans as to what they are actually consuming," said Barbara J. Moore, Ph.D., president of Shape Up America! "Changing the name to 'corn sugar' may lead some consumers to think that they are consuming a sweetener that is more nutritious than it really is, thus aggravating this nation's obesity crisis."

Among the studies linking HFCS with weight gain is research published in the journal Nature (October 15, 2010), which found the fructose content of beverages sweetened with HFCS is higher than previously thought.  Shape Up America! also cited findings from the NHLBI Growth and Health Study showing that in both black and white girls (ages 9 – 19 years) increased soda consumption predicts the greatest increase of Body Mass Index (BMI).  Further, the organization referred to emerging science that associates fructose, when consumed in the form of HFCS, with such health concerns as the increased risk of gout in men and decreased insulin sensitivity and increased visceral adiposity in overweight or obese adults.

Shape Up America! also questioned introducing a new name for a commonly used sweetener when "high fructose corn syrup" has been listed on food ingredient labels for decades and consumers are familiar with the term. A review of the ingredient's regulatory history finds that the food industry has been using the term since the 1970s, which is why the corn refining industry, including the Corn Refiners Association, requested that FDA designate "high fructose corn syrup" as the common or usual name for this ingredient.

In 1983, HFCS received GRAS (generally recognized as safe) status from FDA and this status was reconfirmed in 1996. Moreover, the name "high fructose corn syrup" is used by the United States Department of Agriculture in its MyPyramid nutrition education tool and was mentioned in the report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee when preparing the just released 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Reminding FDA that other consumer groups have weighed in to oppose the name change, Shape Up America! urged the agency not to expend its limited resources of what is essentially an "intra-industry marketing battle" involving different forms of caloric sweeteners. At a time when the agency has responsibility for implementing key aspects of the Administration's plans to reduce the incidence of obesity in America and to put in place sweeping new food safety requirements, Shape Up America's letter states: "The FDA should not be spending its limited resources on what is essentially an attempt by the Corn Refiners Association to improve the image of HFCS so that the corn processing industry is better able to compete with manufacturers of other forms of caloric sweeteners."

About Shape Up America!

Shape Up America! was founded in 1994 by former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop to raise awareness of the health effects of obesity and to provide responsible information on weight management to the public and to health care professionals. The organization maintains an award winning website – www.shapeup.org – accessed by more than 100,000 visitors each month and an "opt-in" free e-newsletter with more than 20,000 subscribers.

SOURCE Shape Up America!