Hidden Sources Of High Fructose Corn Syrup In Your Groceries
By Bella Muse
NaturalNews
August 31, 2011
It is amazing how ubiquitous high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become. Most of the products that you purchase from the grocery store contain HFCS, including the ones you would least expect.
It has the same sweetness and taste as an equal amount of sucrose from cane or beet sugars, so most people can’t tell the difference. And since it tastes good they continue to eat it anyway, oblivious to what they are eating and the impact it may have on them, and the planet.
In spite of it being much more complicated to produce, HFCS is actually cheaper to make than regular sugar from beets or sugar canes. It’s also very easy to transport, meaning lower costs and higher profits for food producers. That being said, there is a con to mass producing this cheap sugar.
HFCS “may be cheap in the supermarket, but in the environment it could not be more expensive,” says Michael Pollan author of “In Defense of Food An Eater’s Manifesto.”
How exactly is HFCS made? And what is the carbon footprint?
The production of HFCS involves vats of murky fermenting liquid, various enzymes, fungus and chemical tweaking, all of which take place in one of 16 chemical plants located in the Corn Belt.
HFCS is produced by processing corn starch to yield glucose, and then processing the glucose to produce a high percentage of fructose. Basically, white starch is turned into crystal clear syrup. The process is much more complicated of course.
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