Mom's little article in a small town paper gets Washington DC's attention

August 27, 2004
Nutritive sweetener facts To the Editor: The commentary by Terri Andersen in the Aug. 6 edition of The Spectrum unfortunately misinforms consumers about the nutritive sweetener High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS). This is an issue that concerns good public health, and it is important consumers have all the facts about HFCS. Just last month, the Center for Food and Nutrition Policy at Virginia Tech issued a report compiled by scientists who reviewed a number of critical commentaries about HFCS. Their analysis found HFCS is not a unique contributor to obesity, and the Associated Press reported their findings in a July 17 story. According to the American Dietetic Association (ADA): “Consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and non-nutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations as well as individual health goals.” In 1983, the Food and Drug Administration listed HFCS as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (known as GRAS status) for use in food, and the FDA reaffirmed that ruling in 1988 and 1996. In its 1996 GRAS finding, the FDA noted “the saccharide composition (glucose to fructose ratio) of HFCS is approximately he same as that of honey, invert presented by association sugar and the disaccharide sucrose” (or table sugar). Many parts of the world, including Mexico, Europe and Russia, have rising rates of obesity despite having little or no HFCS in their foods and beverages due to tariffs and trade policies. In fact, the New York Times recently reported on Mexico's anti-HFCS trade policies (to protect its sugar industry) over the past several years, and a House of Commons report in Britain noted the obesity epidemic in that country. Both Mexico and Great Britain have virtually no HFCS in their foods and beverage. It is also important to note that HFCS is prevalent in a number of products for people who are trying to control their weight. Three examples include many Lean Cuisine dinners, Weight Watchers muffins and Healthy Choice ice cream—just three products made and marketed by companies whose customers are attempting to control or reduce their weight. HFCS is contained in many food and beverage formulations that provide recognized benefits to consumers. For more information about HFCS, please visit www.HFCSfacts.com.
Audrae Erickson
President Corn Refiners Association
Washington, D.C.

September 10, 2004
writer takes issue with DC firm over corn syrup
To the Editor: - * friend called me on Aug. 27 (before my mail came that day) to tell me there was a letter to the editor of The Greater New Milford Spectrum. regarding something I had written in my column for the Aug. 4. Spectrum Maturity section of the paper. The letter was from the Audrae Erikson President of The Corn Refiners Association in Washington, D.C., an I was both flabbergasted and flattered.  Flabbergasted because I couldn't imagine that my chatty little column in Our local paper would reach anyone in Washington, D.C., and flattered that it did, even though they found with what I wrote. I want to make it clear that I stand firm on what I wrote about high fructose corn syrup mainly because I got my information from an AARP article entitled “What's Worse Than Sugar?" followed by loads of Internet information on the subject. An L.A. Times website went so far as abstinence, not moderation. Recently I saw a TV commercial making it a point to say their product contained. NO high fructose corn syrup. One label I read stressed that its product had "only 2 percent HFCS. Why would all these people single out HFCS as something to
avoid for no reason at all?
Terri Andersen
New Milford