Are You Hooked On High Fructose Corn Syrup?
Florida legislators are moving to ban high-fructose corn syrup in schools. ‘Today’ food editor Phil Lempert takes a look to see if the sugary substance is unhealthy. Florida state Rep. Juan Zapata calls high-fructose corn syrup the “crack of sweeteners.”
High-fructose corn syrup is about 75% sweeter than sugar, is less expensive than sugar, and mixes better in many foods than sugar. When it was created in the ’70s, the sweetener was thought to be a revolutionary advance in food science because of its stability and usefulness in a variety of foods. Food manufacturers (especially soda manufacturers) began using high-fructose corn syrup to save money. Part of the reason corn syrup is less expensive than sugar is because the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s farm bill subsidizes corn growers to grow more corn than we need!
[Are You Hooked On High Fructose Corn Syrup?]