The Corn Refiners Association has applied to the federal government for permission to stop using the term ‘high fructose corn syrup’ and instead say ‘corn sugar’ on food and beverage labels.
Read story here.
Ingredients name changes are nothing new. Low eurcic acid rapeseed oil gained in popularity when it became ‘canola oil’ in 1988, and prunes changed consumer perceptions when they became ‘dried plums” in 2000.
I have long held the view that consumers are suspicious of quasi-scientific terminology when it comes to food and drink. For me, it starts with seemingly innocent terms such as ‘sodium’. Sounds like something from a chemistry laboratory at school, someone once said to me. Why can’t they just call it ‘salt’?
Good question. And as we head into a new era of food labelling, with manufacturers stuck between increasingly savvy consumers and persistently cautious legislators, I sense that we’re bound to see more stories like this.
In November last year, we ran the story about Ajinomoto’s renaming of Aspartame to become AminoSweet. Such is the appetite for this sort of news, it has become one of FoodBev.com’s ‘most read’ stories.
If sugar really is ‘just sugar’, and if the Corn Refiners Association’s actions are successful, then over time let’s see whether ingredients such as acesulfame potassium (acesulfame K) or cyclamate also get a makeover.
What’s in a name? What do you think about the CFA move to rename HFCS? Share your views and write to me.
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