Proposed Florida Legislation on High Fructose Corn Syrup Is Unnecessary and Costly

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 17, 2009

CONTACT: Audrae Erickson, President
(202)331-1634

WASHINGTON, DC– An amendment added to an appropriations bill in the Florida House of Representatives to ban certain foods containing high fructose corn syrup from the Florida School Food Program is unnecessary, potentially costly, and would result in no nutritional value or reduction of caloric intake for Florida’s school children.

“This amendment would substantially increase the cost of purchasing food for Florida school children and create food shortages. It would do so without adding nutritional value to the foods they eat,” said CRA President, Audrae Erickson.

There is no nutritional benefit gained by replacing high fructose corn syrup with another caloric sweetener. High fructose corn syrup is a safe, natural sweetener made from corn. When compared to sugar, it has the same number of calories, is handled similarly by the body, is equally sweet, and is functionally superior.

The American Medical Association recently concluded that “high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners.” (American Medical Association. June 17, 2008. Press Release: AMA finds high fructose syrup unlikely to be more harmful to health than other caloric sweeteners.)

The American Dietetic Association concluded that “No persuasive evidence supports the claim that high fructose corn syrup is a unique contributor to obesity.” (Hot Topics, “High Fructose Corn Syrup.” December 2008.)

Many confuse scientific research about distinctly different sweeteners, treating studies involving abnormally high levels of pure fructose as if they involved high fructose corn sweetener, which they do not. Peer-reviewed research has shown that high fructose corn syrup and sugar are handled similarly by the body and have similar metabolic effects.

For more information about high fructose corn syrup, please visit www.SweetSurprise.com.

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CRA is the national trade association representing the corn refining (wet milling) industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, ethanol, starch, bioproducts, corn oil, and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein, and fiber.