Ritehey ad Made ye ona] vperial at ‘bey jecaeey wh ‘ton cra st Shoppers Feel Misted By False Health Halo Of High Fructose Corn Syrup—Free (NAPSA)—With a seemingly endless list of daily duties and shifting priorities, shoppers want to be armed with information that helps them make fast and smart decisions. That’s why food and beverage companies have taken great strides to help harried moms andother grocery shoppers navigate the store aisles. Thanks to government labeling regulations, you can find better, more plentiful nutrition information on product packages and company Websites. But, new consumer research suggests many shoppers feel con- fused and misled over the recent trend of companies touting products as “high fructose corn syrup-free.” The popular sweetener, like table sugar, is used in a variety of food and beverage prod- ucts. Unlike table sugar, high fructose corn syrup has taken some undeserved knocks, despite repeated confirmation from the science and medical communities that it is nutritionally no different than sugar. Sweet news for consumers is that leading medical and nutrition groups agree that high fructose corn syrup and sugar are handled similarly by the body and contain the same numberof calories (four calories per gram). High fructose corn syrup, like sugar and honey, is natural and should be enjoyed in moderation. Therefore, those companies that are promoting their products as “high fructose corn syrup—free” are projecting a false “health halo” despite the fact they may have simply chosen another, equally caloric sweetener, like sugar. New research conducted for the Corn Refiners Association shows that fewer than 4 percent (3.6 per- Nearly half of all shoppers feel misled by companies that pro- mote their products as “high fructose corn syrup-free,’ creating a false “health halo” that doesn’t exist. cent) of grocery shoppers look for high fructose corn syrup on their labels, representing a decline from 8.3 percent in 2008. “It’s easy to see how some shop- pers could be led astray into thinking foods without high fructose corn syrup are somehow more healthful, but that isn’t the case,” explained nutrition expert Christine Rosen- bloom, Ph.D., R.D., professor of nutrition, Georgia State University, Atlanta. “Products labeled as high fructose corn syrup-free are clearly trying to project a ‘health halo’ that doesn’t exist.” When consumers are armed with facts about high fructose corn syrup, they often hold negative views of food companies that market products as “high fructose corn syrup-free.” In fact, nearly half of shoppers feel misled by food companies that make these claims. “When it comesto calories from sugar or high fructose corn syrup, they’re exactly the same,” said Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association. “Food shoppers are increasingly aware of that fact.” You can learn more www.sweetSurprise.com. at
