NCGA
Responds to Misleading Article on HFCS, Obesity (4-12-04)
The National
Corn Growers Association (NCGA) today refuted a recent media report
condemning high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a primary cause of the
mounting U.S. obesity problem.
An article appearing
in the April AARP Bulletin says HFCS is largely responsible for “the
startling rise in obesity in America and a related increase in diabetes
cases.” The article entitled “What’s Worse Than
Sugar?” claims that the rising incidence of obesity and diabetes
in the United States coincides with the increase in HFCS use since
the 1970s. The AARP Bulletin is one of the most widely circulated
monthly publications in the United States, reaching more than 20 million
readers every month.
“It’s
ridiculous to believe HFCS is somehow responsible for the growing
obesity problem in the United States,” NCGA CEO Rick Tolman
said. “The media continues to spread misinformation about HFCS
and obesity. In fact, studies have clearly shown the rise in obesity
is due to increasingly poor dietary habits and lack of physical exercise.”
Statistics from
the Corn Refiners Association show a steady increase in the daily
caloric intake of the average U.S. consumer from 1977 to 1995. In
that span, the average individual caloric intake increased by nearly
200 calories per day. However, the Food and Drug Administration says
the total amount of fructose in the average diet during that same
span remained relatively constant. Additionally, the President’s
Council on Physical Fitness and Sports reports nearly half of adults
in the United States engage in no daily physical activity. The increase
in daily calories coupled with the decrease in physical activity is
driving the obesity epidemic, Tolman said.
Tolman also expressed
concern about the article’s assertion that HFCS is cheaper than
table sugar because of “generous federal subsidies and trade
policies that encourage farmers to grow more corn.” HFCS is
a cheaper ingredient than table sugar because it is cheaper to produce
and easier to transport, Tolman said.
“Farm support
programs have nothing to do with HFCS prices,” he said. “Support
programs have been decoupled from annual planting projections, so
there’s no truth to the claim that growers are specially ‘subsidized’
to grow corn for HFCS. The truth is, farm policy encourages growers
to respond to market signals.”
Tolman encouraged
growers to “set the record straight” on HFCS by writing
letters to media outlets that misrepresent HFCS as a cause of the
obesity epidemic. He also noted that farmers, corn refiners and food
industry leaders should prepare to respond to HFCS criticism generated
at the upcoming “Summit on Obesity,” an event sponsored
June 2-4 by Time magazine and ABC News.
To view NCGA’s response to the article, click
here.