So, many years ago, when Cocal Cola was bringing out 'New Coke', aside from altering the formula (sacrilige!), they switched from using sugar to using high fructose corn syrup. When they brought back Coca Cola Classic, they changed the formula back but did not bring back the sugar, opting instead to keep the high fructose corn syrup.

Well, aside from the old version made with sugar tasting better, the high fructose corn syrup wave started to form and has now tidal wave rolled over the entire food industry. It is freaking everywhere.

Now, I am no expert on how sugar is digested versus how HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup), but I believe that the body more easily and naturally digests this stuff (sugar) versus this weird stuff (HFCS). So, why is it everywhere? Because it is marginally cheaper than using sugar is my opinion. The reason it is marginally cheaper, is because food processing giants like Archer Daniels Midland get big credits and stuff to do things with corn (again, I am no expert, JMO), thus making it easier for them to undercut the cost of sugar. Plus, market research seems to show that the USA palate seems to like things sweet, and not just things that you'd normally expect to be sweet.

For example, HFCS is found in many, if not the majority, of BREAD. Why? To brown the 'crust'. They used to use a bit of sugar to do this, but HFCS is ever so minimally sheaper. So there you go. We checked out a favorit honey mustard the other day and it lookeed good until ingredient #14 (the last one) that also showed HFCS. Why? It already had honey in it, why not just use a little more honey instead of HFCS? Because it's cheaper.

And HFCS dominates the ingredient lists where you WOULD expect to see things sweet, like cookies, jams/jellies, etc.

I am not sure if HFCS contributes, in at least a small way if not larger, to the fattening of America. I was astounded by how prevalent this stuff has become when I started rooting through my fridge and pantry. I am now on a new quest to greatly reduce the amount of HFCS I consume. I know I cannot completely rid myself of this, but I am targeting at least an 80% reduction if not greater than that in this HFCS crap-ola.

End of rant.

I drink the wine with a smile on my face and focus on the conversation at hand.

I am also a C3-no chardonnay.

I seem to recall a show on one of the food channels about a Dr. Pepper plant, I believe somewhere in Texas, that was the only soft drink maker still using pure cane sugar. The owner insisted on it and said that it would remain that way for as long as he is living and I think he was in his 80's. All other Dr. Pepper plants use HFCS!

I saw a bumper sticker the other day that said "HFCS" and had the red circle and line over it.

FWIW, that Dr Pepper plant is in Dublin, Texas.

TJ, there is one simple reason HFCS is used COST! That is the only reason. It is "sweeter" than regular sugar so less of it is needed on a weight basis so this makes it even better from the manufacturers point of view. Amazing what you can learn from a summer in a food companies R&D lab...

Per capita consumption of high fructose corn syrup went from zero consumption in 1966 to 62.6 pounds per year in 2001.(From theWashington Post ).

Guess what happened to obesity rates between 1966 and 2001....

Remember that HFCS is only cheap because of huge government subsidies of agribusiness. Thank you ADM lobby. Basically, your tax dollars are going to fund increasing obesity.

I've taken to buying as much as I can sugar free and low carb - bread included. Who knows what the added chemicals are doing to my brain cells - probably pickling them - but I'd rather have that than the fat cells.

Anyone see the recent Newsweek story on what fat cells do? Gruesome!

Regular sugar has high goverment subsidies as well. Maybe if we had to pay the world price for all these things we'd use less.

Great responses, folks, I agree. LIke I said already, I am on a quest to rid myself of this stuff (as much as possible anyway).

There appears to not be a single commercially produced bread that does not have this stuff. Fortunately, most of the local supermarkets also have organic breads that do not seem to have this infernal crud injected in to it. And my most preferred bread, Bonaparte's, is decidedly without this stuff. Whew!

TJ -

It is amazing on how many products contain HFCS. I like to grab a smoothie on the way out the door in the morning (rather than getting up 15 minutes earlier and actually making one...) and almost every one has HFCS as the #2 ingredient. Finally found one without it but it's got 50G of carbs...

Yikes! HFCS is insidious. Ferreting it out of your diet is looking to be tough work.

You really do have to read every single label. One of the reasons I like Whole Foods - they don't stock stuff with HFCS or Trans Fats. At Bev Mo they have a shelf of sodas and you can find some that have cane sugar instead of HFCS too.

As long as you're at it, don't buy stuff with trans fat in them... Look out for any types of Partially Hydroginated oils, shortenings and margarine.... The worst kind of fats ever, and of course, all man-engineered.

Basically, until humans are also industrially processed to digest the food-industry's processed food, avoid most of man-created so-called foods.

Side note: Have you ever wonder why French people are among the ones with the longest longevity in the world, and at the same time are eating bread (carbs), butter (fat) and wine...? I wouldn't call French cuisine "light".

If you knew the cook and waiters were spitting in 100% of the dishes in a restaurant, would still go there? So the problem all come down to knowing and caring about what goes in your food... It's amazing to see how polluted the food is in the US just by reading the label...

Since people don't know how to cook anymore, they have to rely on the food industry. Obviously, it's not a wise choice. Ironically, commercials now refer to food like "grand-ma" used to cook, and not anymore to like "mom's". Soon it will be like "great grand-ma"...

Cheers,

-Philippe

Philippe - welcome to VinoCellar! I think we've all determined why the French live long and prosper - it's all about the wine.

Seriously - it is amazing to me how much HFCS is in foods. Especially anything targeted at children. I've more cognizant now about the foods my son is eating. Sometimes I lose the "battles" but being a cook and gardener I think I can win the "war".

Yes, welcome Philippe. Everything mentioned above is, of course, correct & a good idea to practice. And, I try to stay away from food like that...

But, in today's day & age, it is almost impossible to stay away or to avoid completely.

hydrogenated oils and so on are hard to avoid as well. It's even more difficult if you're trying to wipe out HFCS at the same time. It's very hard. Almost have to start making everything from scratch.