By MICHELE F. MIHALJEVICH
Indiana Correspondent

WASHINGTON, D.C. — A corn industry organization has asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to allow use of the phrase “corn sugar” in place of “high fructose corn syrup.” A petition requesting the change was filed Sept. 14 by the Corn Refiners Assoc. (CRA).

“Consumers need to know what is in their foods and where their foods come from, and we want to be clear with them,” said CRA President Audrae Erickson in a statement. “The term ‘corn sugar’ succinctly and accurately describes what this natural ingredient is and where it comes from – corn.

“We hope that the FDA will act positively on our petition in the interest of consumer clarity.”

The request is supported by various corn industry groups, including the National Corn Growers Assoc. (NCGA), according to Leon Corzine, the organization’s former president and a farmer in Assumption, Ill. “I’m hopeful and optimistic. There’s not a reason for the FDA not to do this,” Corzine noted. “We’re trying to provide accurate information. The name change helps clarify all that.”
The move comes as some food manufacturers have removed high fructose corn syrup from their products, including ketchup. “We are definitely in the crosshairs. We’re playing defense on this,” he explained. “We’re seeing the negative impact from negative advertising more than ever.

“Most farmers are probably not aware of this issue. High fructose corn syrup has been around for a long time. It’s been such a good product, which is why it’s been so widely used. It doesn’t give an artificial flavor. It protects the natural flavor.”

Corn sweetener is about 3 percent of the corn market, Corzine added. “This is an economic issue for agriculture. Farmers need to understand this is really important to the pocketbook. It’s also important to rural areas,” he said. “People want to keep jobs in the U.S. They want home-grown products. High fructose corn syrup is a U.S. product made with U.S. corn. It’s grown in our backyards.”
If the petition is approved, the name change will be a benefit to consumers, the current NCGA president explained.

“NCGA hopes that the FDA will recognize that allowing manufacturers to use the term ‘corn sugar’ helps clarify the true nature of this product,” said Darrin Ihnen in a statement. “The current naming system, which uses the term ‘high fructose corn syrup,’ leads consumers to believe that this product is higher in fructose than other sweeteners. We know that this is simply not true.”

In 2008, the American Dietetic Assoc. said high fructose corn syrup is nutritionally equivalent to sucrose, or table sugar, and that they both contain the same number of calories per gram.

Once the petition has been received and logged into the FDA system, it will be evaluated in line with the agency’s other priorities, said Sebastian Cianci, FDA spokesperson. “FDA’s focus is on food safety and food nutrition. They’ll look at available scientific data and be sure the name change meets the criteria that it should be truthful and not misleading,” he said. “The better the consumer understands information presented to them on food packages, the better they’ll be able to make healthful choices.”

The process includes opportunities for feedback from consumers and any interested parties. Cianci said he was unable to say how long the process might take.

Whether high fructose corn syrup or sucrose, Americans should simply be eating less sugar, said Jeff Cronin, director of communications for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
“You’re better off cutting back on both. Keep added sugars to a minimum,” he said. “If you eat apples, strawberries and melons, for example, you’re getting plenty of natural sugars from those.”

Manufacturers shouldn’t necessarily be making a big deal out of the switch from high fructose corn syrup to table sugar, Cronin noted. “You see a lot of food manufacturers making hay of the fact that they’re making this switch,” he said. “They’re not doing anyone any favors nutritionally by doing this. It’s been our longstanding position that high fructose corn syrup isn’t the bogeyman it’s made out to be. It’s no better or worse than regular sugar. All Americans should be eating less of both.”

While a group spokesperson said The Sugar Assoc. wouldn’t comment specifically on the petition, the organization stated the FDA’s definition of sugar accurately reflects that it only comes from sugar cane and sugar beets.

“All-natural sugar has been the world’s sweetener of choice for more than 2,000 years,” the association said in a statement. “Sugar remains the predominate sweetener in every country except the United States, where in recent decades man-made sweetening agents have been created and mass-produced.

“American consumers are now clamoring for a change and are demanding the trusted taste and goodness of sugar. We are thrilled that food and beverage manufacturers are switching back to natural sugar in droves and are confident that this positive trend will continue.”