Shoppers No Longer Sweet on Corn Syrup

Makers hope name change will ease consumers' minds

(NEWSER) - The backlash against high-fructose corn syrup has finally led its makers to try out a new name: corn sugar. The Corn Refiners Association wants people to know that—according to its marketing campaign—"whether it's corn sugar or cane sugar, your body can't tell the difference. Sugar is sugar." The association applied for permission to use the new name on food labels yesterday, and though a decision could take two years, the marketing campaign is already in full swing over at CornSugar.com , the AP reports. More»

(NEWSER) - The soda tax is a great idea, and its probable death at the hands of lobbyists serves to highlight all the problems with our tax system, writes David Leonhardt in the New York Times. The current system doesn’t raise enough money, and it’s “complex in all the wrong ways,” a vast labyrinth of deductions, subsidies, and extra taxes devoid of logic. More»

Nutritionists slam food makers' efforts to sell sugar as the healthy choice

(NEWSER) - Sugar, once a nutritional outcast, is back in fashion as American consumers start to turn away from high-fructose corn syrup, the New York Times reports. Manufacturers are rushing to replace the syrup—used in everything from soft drinks to spaghetti sauces—with sugar, and selling the switch as a move to a more natural, healthier, "retro" sweetener. More»

And 1 in 20 of us drinks the equivalent of more than four cans of soda daily

(NEWSER) - Well, this could have something to do with why we’re fat : Half of Americans drink at least one soda or other sugary beverage per day, and one in 20 drinks the equivalent of four-plus cans. The alarming CDC report follows interviews conducted between 2005 and 2008 with more than 17,000 people, who were asked what they ate and drank the day before. Diet sodas, sweetened teas, flavored milks, and 100% fruit juice were not counted in the total figures. More»

To reduce obesity, sugary drinks banned from all city property

(NEWSER) - No more soda on Boston city property, or sports drinks or sweetened ice teas, for that matter. In an effort to reduce the city's rising obesity rates—and the soaring health costs associated with obesity— Slashfood reports that Mayor Thomas Menino has banned all sugary beverages from vending machines, cafeterias, and concession stands. “I want to create a civic environment that makes the healthier choice the easier choice in people’s lives, whether it’s schools, worksites, or other places in the community," said Menino in a press release . More»