Corn Syrup Use Drops 11%. Consumers Choose Sugar

The local news (WQAD) reported that the use of corn syrup has dropped by 11%.
Why? Consumers are worried about links to obesity caused by consuming corn syrup. Consumers are also worried about health effects of consuming corn syrup.

What is corn syrup?

Discovered in the 1950's, corn syrup is actually made from corn starch. It has added enzymes to create what we know as corn syrup. The glucose is changed to fructose. Corn syrup is actually a combination of both. In the 1970's the use of corn syrup started and by the 1980s corn syrup use was sky rocketing. Deemed back then to be cheaper than sugar for food companies to use.

Health concerns have also pushed this corn syrup issue to the forefront. Not only is corn syrup thought to be a prime reason for obesity in the U.S., it is also thought to be a prime reason for the rate of diabetes 2 cases. Some link heart and kidney illnesses to it. Corn syrup and sugar have the same approx. calories. It is thought however that corn syrup cannot be metabolized quickly. So the body stores it as fat.

Some people report migraines from consuming products using corn syrup. If you are someone who has allergic reactions to corn syrup, it has been hard to find products that use regular sugar. Reading labels reveals that corn syrup is in everything from soda pop, spaghetti sauce, baked beans, candy and the list is exhaustive. Using corn syrup is much cheaper for the manufacturers than using sugar. Their profit margins have increased by the switch.

Things are changing for corn syrup. Hunt's and Snapple are just 2 of the companies who have decided to listen to consumers' wants and use sugar instead of corn syrup. More and more companies are starting to jump on the no corn syrup band wagon and it is showing up in the use of corn syrup dropping 11% . The use of sugar has risen approx. 7%.

How are the companies that produce corn syrup making up for Americans' choice to stop consuming it? They are selling more corn syrup to countries like Mexico. The new consumers are either not aware of what Americans perceive as dangers of corn syrup or they simply do not care. Coca Cola and Pepsi are huge users of corn syrup and have not decided to change back to sugar yet.

Corn syrup use has dropped by 11% in the U.S. It is yet to be seen if the world will fall in love with corn syrup. It may take 30-40 years for other countries to make their minds up about corn syrup, just like it took American consumers.

Sources:
WQAD
Chicago Breaking Business