Products containing high fructose corn syrup cannot be considered 'natural' and should not be labeled as such, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has said.
The decision is likely to cause a massive stir in the food and beverage industry, where a discreet battle has been raging over the status of the controversial sweetener.
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is derived from corn, and used primarily to sweeten beverages. The trade group Corn Refiners Association and numerous industry members have long maintained that HFCS is a natural sweetener.
However, the sugar industry is more critical, as HFCS comes into direct competition with sugar as a sweetener. Industry group Sugar Association, as well as consumer groups such as the Center for Science in the Public Interest categorically maintain that HFCS cannot be considered natural because its chemical bonds are broken and rearranged in the manufacturing process.
The debate raged on for one simple reason: FDA does not define the term 'natural', and it has therefore been left open to different interpretations.
Read the full FoodNavigator-USA.com story here.
Latest from Quality Assurance & Food Safety
- FDA Releases Produce Regulatory Program Standards
- Invest in People or Risk the System: Darin Detwiler and Catalyst Food Leaders on Building Real Food Safety Culture
- USDA Proposes Increasing Poultry, Pork Line Speeds
- FDA Releases New Traceability Rule Guidance
- TraceGains and iFoodDS Extend Strategic Alliance
- bioMérieux Launches New Platform for Spoiler Risk Management
- SafetyChain Receives SOC 2 Type 2 Certification
- Puratos Acquires Pennsylvania-Based Vör Foods
