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Corn Refiners Vigorously Defend High Fructose Corn Syrup

  • Ad Age, Friday, August 21, 2009 10:41 AM
As major marketers respond to the complaints of consumers and obesity activists and remove high fructose corn syrup from some well-known brands, the Corn Refiners Association is lashing back with an advertising and public relations campaign "to correct the impression that refined sugar is healthier than HFCS," Emily Bryson York and Natalie Zmuda report.

The TV spots depict sympathetic characters such as mothers in a kitchen and a young couple on a picnic blanket chatting about whether corn sweeteners are bad for you. "It has the same amount of calories as sugar, honey, and it's fine in moderation," says a woman who hands a Popsicle to her boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Kraft Foods has removed high-fructose corn syrup from some of its most popular products in recent years, but a spokesman says that it isn't out to eliminate HFCS across the board. Oreos, for example, still contain the sweetener. Costco has been selling Mexican-made Coca-Cola in some markets that's sweetened with sugar rather than syrup. And Starbucks has removed HFCS and trans fat from products in its bakery case.

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