Corn Producers Sued By Sugar Farmers

In Los Angeles earlier this week, C&H Sugar, Michigan Sugar Co. and Western Sugar Cooperative filed a joint lawsuit against the Corn Refiners Association's advertising campaign to relabel and market high-fructose corn syrup as corn sugar.

What are the grounds for their lawsuit? The sugar farmers and refiners argue that the name-change constitutes false advertisement, implying to consumers that, when described as sugar, the corn-based sweetener is more natural, and thus healthier. Furthermore, the sugar coalition is seeking compensation for lost profits and demands corrective marketing/advertising. To corn producers say the case has no basis for litigation.

Considering that "Americans' consumption of corn syrup fell to a 20-year low last year as concerns grow about its health and environmental impact," writes Sarah Skidmore, is it any wonder that the corn industry would like a bit of a facelift? While High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has become a scapegoat for rising obesity and diabetes levels, HFCS and sugar are very similar, chemically. Where sugar (sucrose) is extracted from plants (either sugarcane or sugar beets), HFCS is produced through an enzymatic process which converts some of the glucose (naturally found in corn) into fructose.

So the (multi) billion dollar question: is HFCS less healthy than "real" sugar? The jury is still out. But the American Heart Association has recommended that Americans generally cut back on added-sugar intake - regardless of the source.

Source: the Associated Press.

Photo by flydime.