Wake Up & Smell the Coffee( Starbucks' Plan to Remove High Fructo...),Health

Starbucks' Plan to Remove High Fructose Corn Syrup from Baked Goods Not Such A Grande Idea

WASHINGTON, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- News that Starbucks plans to remove high fructose corn syrup from its baked goods later this month as part of its "Real Food. Simply Delicious" campaign (Reuters, June 2) may be misleading to consumers by implying that products sweetened with other sweeteners, such as sugar, are healthier.

"Consumers could be in for a jolt when they realize that there is no scientific basis to suggest that coffee cake made with sugar is 'healthier' than one made with high fructose corn syrup," said Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association. "There is no nutritional difference between high fructose corn syrup and sugar. It is the calories that count."

High fructose corn syrup may have a complicated-sounding name, but it is essentially a corn sugar that is nutritionally the same as table sugar. High fructose corn syrup is not sweeter than sugar; and high fructose corn syrup, sugar and honey all contain the same number of calories (four calories per gram).

The American Medical Association in June 2008 helped put to rest misunderstandings about this sweetener and obesity, stating that "high fructose syrup does not appear to contribute to obesity more than other caloric sweeteners."

High fructose corn syrup is made from corn, a natural grain product. High fructose corn syrup contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives and meets the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's requirements for use of the term "natural."

While there is general agreement that Americans should cut back on all sweets and calories, many experts in the nutrition science community agree that high fructose corn syrup is essentially the same as sugar:

• "To pretend that a product sweetened with sugar is healthier th
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