New Normal

Might have been a tad more informative to show the rise in diabetics and children with type to diabetes as well? And maybe a better spike in that soda in the 1980's when sugar was replaced with HFCS? Just some suggestions.

Autism and High Fructose Corn Syrup

In a provocative new peer-reviewed study published in Clinical Epigenetics, researchers led by a former FDA toxicologist purport to have found a very real link between HFCS consumption and autism.

The study’s argument is complicated but deeply disturbing. It pieces together what’s known about the genetic and metabolic factors involved with autism, including the growing evidence of a link between autism and mercury and organophosphate pesticide exposure.

Essentially, HFCS can interfere with the body’s uptake of certain dietary minerals — namely zinc. And that, when combined with other mineral deficiencies common among Americans, can cause susceptible individuals to develop autism.
[MORE]

The authors of a recent study on the links between endocrine disrupting chemicals like BPA and obesity and diabetes observed, it is all but impossible to prove a direct link between chemicals that affect us through chronic, low-level exposure and the health effects they are thought to cause. In other words, if you're looking for a smoking gun, you're better off looking in the crime and fiction section.

In the meantime, someone tell Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carry to stop telling people to not immunize their kids, and instead - have them campaign against HFCS - (even if this turns out to be bunk, we'll all be better off) instead.

Spotted in Seattle

Children of the High Fructose Corn Syrup

Big Brother Loves You

Okay, okay. Correlation does not equal causation. I'm going to have to agree that it has more to do with the corn subsidy, HFCS's, increasing portion sizes, more Americans eating out, Mom working, and, my favorite, the war against tobacco. But it is a thought provoking graph.

Apparently, the documentary Fathead (available Netflix) shows the maddening footage of the Congressional hearings that Gary Taubes' Good Calories Bad Calories and Why We Are Fat (and what to do about it) wrote about. Approximate quote: "We senators don't have time to find out of the science is right, we must act now."

I plan on checking that out pretty soon.

KFC Hates Diabetic Kids

Congratulations Blaspheme's Hypocrite of the Week: KFC. How can you offer 29 scoops of HFCS to battle Juvenile diabetes? That's like handing out matches while promoting fire prevention.

Seems that the blogger on Huff Pro, Joe Waters agrees with me completely. And that's before I read his article.

Taco Bell; Not Meat - Rented Food

An Alabama law firm claims in a lawsuit that Taco Bell is using false advertising when it refers to using “seasoned ground beef” or “seasoned beef” in its products.

The meat mixture sold by Taco Bell restaurants contains binders and extenders and does not meet the minimum requirements set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to be labeled as “beef,” according to the legal complaint.

Attorney Dee Miles said attorneys had Taco Bell’s “meat mixture” tested and found it contained less that 35 percent beef.

They're not looking for money - which surprised me... “We are asking that they stop saying that they are selling beef,” Miles said.

Taco Bell spokesman Rob Poetsch said the company denies that its advertising is misleading.

“Taco Bell prides itself on serving high quality Mexican inspired food with great value. We’re happy that the millions of customers we serve every week agree,” Poetsch said. He said the company would “vigorously defend the suit.”

He forgot to mention that the word 'food' in this context is also highly subjective. Much like Ex-Lax is considered 'chocolate.' But that's all in the colon of the beholder, isn't it?

The lawsuit says that Taco Bell’s “seasoned beef” contains other ingredients, including water, wheat oats, soy lecithin, maltodrextrin, anti-dusting agent and modified corn starch.

Time to Feed the Birdies

She rolls down lane 16 of the Wal-Mart in her borrowed scooter.
She knows she's not disabled, she's just "taking a break."
She sighs, and grabs the bird food. "At least someone will be happy," she repeats to herself.

But how will she reach the feeder?

San Fran Happy Meal Ban

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-january-3-2011/san-francisco-s-happy-meal-ban

"Wait, are you being serious right now?"

This is your world

I could do without the "from below" shot.

I wonder if they have a La-z-boy version?

Book of the Day

The truth comes out: Things do not go better with Coke
The Coke Machine: The Dirty Truth Behind the World's Favorite Soft Drink
By Blanding, Michael

Review by Henry L. Carrigan Jr

In one of the world's most famous television commercials, hundreds of teenagers of diverse backgrounds dance and sway on a sunny hillside as they belt out a ballad about teaching the world to sing in peace and harmony. Each young person is holding a bottle of Coke, the "real thing," promising in his or her earnest way that if only everyone in the world would drink Coke, violence would cease and peace would prevail. Ever since 1886, when John Pemberton stumbled upon the secret formula for the soft drink that would become known as Coca-Cola, the company that eventually grew out of his success has obscured the shady medicinal origins of the drink and zealously designed ads that focus not on its ingredients but on what the customer thinks it represents. Coke has spent billions of dollars to present an image of wholesomeness and harmony cherished by millions of people around the world.

Yet, as award-winning magazine writer Michael Blanding points out in his provocative and far-reaching investigative book, The Coke Machine, all is not well in the House of Coke. The pristine images of peace and harmony promoted by the company have been shattered by accusations that the company has depleted water supplies in India, made schoolchildren fat in the U.S., supported murder as it sought to destroy unions in Guatemala and deceived consumers around the world by marketing tap water as purified water under its Dasani brand. For example, in the Kerala region in India, Coke not only used up fresh water supplies in its production process, it also produced solid waste that it distributed to local farmers as fertilizer. When the fields treated by this fertilizer began to lie fallow, and when farm animals that drank water polluted by this waste began to die, Indian scientists discovered that Coke's solid waste contained four times the tolerable limit of cadmium, which can cause prostate and kidney cancer.

In shocking detail, Blanding uncovers Coke's numerous transgressions against humanity and nature. Although many groups have protested Coke's presence in their countries and various legal actions have been brought against Coke, the company has managed to slither out of the grip of any legal injunctions. It's very unlikely that Coke will ever change its practices until its bottom line is threatened by binding legal consequences and there is a sustained public campaign that threatens its brand images. Blanding's thoroughly detailed, stimulating and challenging study will have many readers saying, "Give me a Pepsi."

I got one better: How about, "No thanks! Water, please."

Sugar: The Bitter Truth

0
"In America, first you get the sugar, then you get the power, then you get the women."

What's in a Name?

So I've been sitting on this one. I figured everyone would have read it somewhere else by now... but realizing that Blasphemes was one of the FIRST and ONLY outlets to tell the truth about High Fructose Corn Syrup - we should at least post the newest news on the issue...

The makers of HFCS want to make it all better. Are they going to stop selling the stuff? No... but they found a way to make this whole icky controversy go away....

The makers of high fructose corn syrup want to sweeten its image with a new name: corn sugar.

The Corn Refiners Association applied Tuesday to the federal government for permission to use the name on food labels. The group hopes a new name will ease confusion about the sweetener, which is used in soft drinks, bread, cereal and other products.

Americans’ consumption of corn syrup has fallen to a 20-year low on consumer concerns that it is more harmful or more likely to cause obesity than ordinary sugar, perceptions for which there is little scientific evidence.

However, some scientists have linked consumption of full-calorie soda – the vast majority of which is sweetened with high fructose corn syrup – to obesity.
[...]
There’s a new online marketing campaign at and on television. Two new commercials try to alleviate shopper confusion, showing people who say they now understand that “whether it’s corn sugar or cane sugar, your body can’t tell the difference. Sugar is sugar.”

Right. And too much of anything will turn you into a fatbody. We get that. Too bad there's just more and more evidence disagreeing with the 'Sugar is Sugar' argument. It appears that cancer just loves the stuff!

The good news is that you know they're losing when they have to change the name. Aspartame pulled this stunt not too long ago. Also, the fact that Pepsi and Coke are sensing the pressure. They're running campaigns all the time - reminding you they sell bottled water and other sugary drinks other than colas with HFCS... and Pepsi has had Throwback Dew and Pepsi on the shelves a lot longer than that 'limited' amount of time, which means it's selling. I've bought a couple cases of the stuff. My Costco sells 'Mexican' Coke. I bought a case of that too. I vote with my dollars. Maybe if enough people do the same, Corn Sugar will be a distant memory like DDT?

Introducing Food With 'Real' Ingredients

Hey gang, Wendy's is happy to be introducing a line of salads such as Apple Pecan Chicken and BLT Cobb as the fast-food chain changes its sales pitch to focus on "real" ingredients to appeal to foodies.

The line of four salads is available nationwide starting Friday. The salads retail for $5.99, about $1 more than the previous Garden Sensations line. The chain introduced those in 2002 and has long been considered an innovator in salads. It was the first fast-food chain to market with a salad bar in the 1980s. Followed almost a month later with the Sneeze Guard.

The salad line is part of Wendy's effort to target people who care about ingredients and what they eat. I'm one of those people. The company teamed up with salad dressing maker Marzetti's to create new flavors such as avocado ranch and pomegranate vinaigrette. It's using multiple types of greens beyond iceberg lettuce, such as spinach, red and green chard, and red and green romaine. Wendy's signature chili is an ingredient in the Baja salad, which features Hass avocados and pico de gallo. Innovation in fast food is to put chili that isn't selling in July on a salad, and charging a buck more for it. They'll win an award for that.

They're getting into the Breakfast Space as well and plan on featuring "real" ingredients, too, such as applewood smoked bacon and fresh eggs. No word on what, exactly, is on that breakfast menu, but CEO Roland Smith said earlier this year the company expects breakfast items to be grilled egg sandwiches, oatmeal bars, roasted potatoes and fresh fruit.

He said the company will take its time getting into the growing breakfast segment because it wants to approach the business correctly.

"Our belief is even though it's tougher and takes longer, it's worth it," he said. "We want a breakfast where people go, 'Wow, here are real cracked eggs.'"

Wow, real cracked eggs? What the hell? How do you make FAKE eggs? How could it be cheaper to make fake eggs in the first place?

And that leads me to the bigger question, rolling out 'real' food - what the hell have they been serving over there up until now? I guess this falls into the "everyone likes sausage, but no one wants to know how it's made." But if that were true, then why would they court the 'foodie' crowd who gives a rip about what kind of garbage they're eating?

Or worse, shouldn't we be outraged that when a restaurant puts out a press release that they'll be serving "real" food it becomes a newsworthy event?

Me? I'm going to the diner to eat a stack of hashbrowns and five eggs piled on a hamburger patty on top of a stack of pancakes.

Amerrreekah!

America, F-ck Yeah! We're gonna' take your mutha fuggin' burger!

Sweet Baby Ray's

Here's a letter from Sweet Baby Ray's to their customer asking Sweet Baby to quit putting HFCS in their awesome BBQ sauce. Here's their reply.

Dear Susan,
I would like to inform you that our High Fructose Corn Syrup contains no artificial or synthetic ingredients or color additives and meets the FDA's requirements for the use of the term 'Natural' Our High Fructose Corn Syrup supplier does not use caustic soda or hydrochloric acid, which is produced using mercury cell technology. Also, our supplier requires that all processing aids used in their process, meets Food Chemical Codex Standards and all appropriate US Food and Drug Administration regulations. However, I will pass along your information to the appropriate person. If you have any further questions regarding this product feel free to contact me. Thank you and you have a nice day.

Maritza Cubero
Consumer Line
Sweet Baby Ray's
(508) 229-5322
service@sweetbabyrays.com

That's nice. I trust the FDA about as far as I could throw them... and with my bad back, I shouldn't be throwing any useless government agency staffed by former employees of the companies they're supposed to be regulating.

HFCS is not, by any means, natural, Maritza. Arsenic is 'natural'. And I don't want that in my BBQ sauce either.

Honey is natural. But honey would make your wonderful sauce cost a couple cents more per ounce. And in the highly competitive BBQ shelf, that's the difference between a sale and... oh, what? Bullseye took HFCS out of THEIR BBQ sauce? There's a bit too much liquid smoke for my taste - but it CAN be done. And Bullseye doesn't cost more or less than Sweet Baby Rays. Interesting.

I'm not going to boycott Sweet Baby Rays. But I don't like the uninformed-corporate speak that talks down to their customer. I'm their customer too... (for now) but I would expect real dialog between someone with real concerns. If I took the time to write a letter, I'd appreciate the same amount of time and consideration from the person or persons I addressed it to.

Some people actually go to college to study public relations and customer service.

Turning the Tide: Use of HFCS is Down

I've been trying for years to push the education of how high fructose corn syrup is in almost every single bite off of the American plate and beverage. I have been trying to find the evidence that over use of this sweetener, and the blind use of it, may have helped to contribute to the growing gross obesity and childhood diabetes crisis in the USA.

It seems to be working!

A report shows that in the U.S. use of the sweetener found in most soft drinks, cereals and a range of other products dropped 11 percent between 2003 and 2008, the most recent year figures were available. A number of companies also have stopped using corn syrup in some or all products, including Hunt's ketchup, Snapple, Gatorade and Starbucks' baked goods.

Producers blame the decline on my campaign, even though most nutritionists find little difference between the two. (Note, they didn't say physicians?) They also accuse the sugar industry of pushing a campaign that has helped sugar refining increase about 7 percent from 2003 to 2008. I can say unequivocaly that I have never seen one red cent from the sugar producers. I can say that I enjoy a Coke made with sugar over HFCS. I can taste an amazing difference, and the HFCS has had an aftertaste in my mouth since 1985.

As of 2008, high fructose corn syrup makers produced an average of 53.1 pounds a year for every American, compared with 65.7 pounds of sugar produced for use in the U.S., according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The agency doesn't track consumption. But the grocery store does... and I'm sure I could look that up, if I could lift my fat flabby arms off the keyboard.

"I think what we're seeing is a real awakening of public interest and public consciousness of the food we eat," said activist Curt Ellis, a producer of the 2004 movie "King Corn" about subsidies that helped corn become a dominant U.S. crop.

Ellis added, though, that he wished Americans would stop eating so many sweeteners, whether refined from corn or sugar. Which, I'd like to highlight and also repeat - and I have in this ongoing campaign of mine to get better Coke.

A quick review for those of you new to my campaign. High fructose corn syrup was first developed in the 1950s but didn't come into widespread use until the 1970s and 1980s. It's made from corn starch, which is processed into corn syrup that is high in glucose. Added enzymes turn the glucose into fructose, a sugar found in some sweet fruits and honey. But it's also created in a centrifuge, and trace amounts of mercury are used in the process. Real natural, don't you think?

Quotas and tariffs imposed on imported sugar in the late 1970s prompted food manufacturers to begin relying more on corn syrup. Coca Cola and Pepsi both switched from sugar to high fructose corn syrup in the 1980s. And with tariffs on one commodity, and Congressional subsidies in corn manufacturing - let's see, wanna guess why it's in everything? So if Coke and Pepsi save a cent per can... since the 80's, that's about how many Trillion Dollars? HFCS acts as a food stabilizer that allows bread to sit on the shelves three weeks longer than anything home baked. So there are many positive uses for it, and it makes sense why food producers would want to use it.

Producers don't welcome the trend away from corn syrup, but seem positioned to handle it. Companies such as Archer Daniels Midland Co., Cargill Inc. and Corn Products International sell dozens of corn- and grain-derived products, and although U.S. sales are dropping, they're selling more in some other countries, especially Mexico.

Oh oh.

Food industry observers also note the sweetener's biggest buyers – like Coke and Pepsi – remain huge customers. That's not likely to change unless sugar prices drop so low they can't resist.

"As long as they don't switch, there'll be a huge market for it," said Ron Sterk, associate editor of the trade publications Milling & Baking News and Food Business News.

Wall Street analysts who follow the companies have noted increased shipments to Mexico, where there appears to be little concern among consumers.

"We don't see the pushback in the other areas at the moment," Corn Products CEO Ilene Gordon said during an April conference call with analysts.

The U.S. campaign against high fructose corn syrup seemed to begin with a 2004 study by a pair of researchers, one at Louisiana State University and one at the University of North Carolina, that suggested a link between the substance and obesity.And there was an even BETTER one from Princeton: (source)

A Princeton University research team demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same.

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.

"Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn't true, at least under the conditions of our tests," said psychology professor Bart Hoebel, who specializes in the neuroscience of appetite, weight and sugar addiction. "When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they're becoming obese -- every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don't see this; they don't all gain extra weight."

Sterk said the previous study, not the Princeton one, came just as more people were feeling uncomfortable with processed foods.

"The timing was just right because there was a whole – and there still is – a whole move toward natural things, and it was able to piggyback on that," he said.

High fructose corn syrup producers have made clear they think the sugar industry has played a role, too.

"Who benefits from the disparagement of high fructose corn syrup?" asked Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association. (Maybe also the nation's children? My liver?)

Nutritionally, there's very little difference between the substances, and people digest them in the same way, said Bruce Chasy, a professor of food safety and nutrition at the University of Illinois.

High fructose corn syrup, he said, is slightly sweeter than sugar.

"Other than that, there's no real difference," he said. "Your body's going to metabolize it the same way."

I disagree. I'm not a scientist. I'm more interested in the taste. Saving people from diabetes is a side project. Apparently, I'm not the only one who agrees.

"We heard loud and clear from our customers that they want food, when they purchase food at Starbucks, to be made of high quality ingredients and from simple recipes," said Starbucks spokeswoman Sanja Gould.

In June 2009, the company stopped using high fructose corn syrup in baked products. Gould wouldn't discuss how the move affected sales, but she said feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

You'll remember that the Corn Refiners Association launched its own hilarious national advertising blitz in 2008 aimed at rehabilitating high fructose corn syrup's image. A mother was pouring a child a flavored drink and a younger woman offering her boyfriend a Popsicle, then talking about how the sweetener is made from corn, has no artificial ingredients and is fine in moderation.

"There was no balanced dialogue," Erickson said of the reasoning for the campaign. "It was all erroneous." And funny, because they had no argument.

Good work everyone!

Thanks to HuffPro for the bulk of the text for me to re-write and cut'n'paste.

New Pressure

The Change you were looking for? Yeah, proof that everyone's scared of the new future, PepsiCo Inc. just announced plans to cut the sodium found in each serving of its key brands by one-fourth in five years, the company announced Monday, as the industry deals with pressure from the government and health-conscious shoppers who want more options.

The maker of Frito-Lay chips and Pepsi drinks announced several nutrition goals Monday at the start of a two-day investor conference. And I'm guessing that it's a little more than a nudge of a threat that the government will soon be taxing the living hell out of their products which will resemble the days of Big Tobacco.

The company also set two goals for the next 10 years: to cut the average added sugar per serving by 25 percent and saturated fat per serving by 15 percent, in addition to adding more whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy into its array of products. Don't worry, 25 percent is still over 12 teaspoons of High Fructose Corn Syrup in a Pepsi Can.

Good Morning America

Congratulations, you're now going to pay for this guy's diabetes, quadrupal bypass surgery, and all the other fun diseases swimming around and being hosted by this fatbody.

Otherwise, here's a title of this guy's movie: A Fridge Too Far.

No McDecomposition

Have you ever wondered what a McDonald's Happy Meal looks like after it's sat on a shelf (not in a freezer) for a year? This seems like one of those things I would learn accidentally, but writer Nonna Joann Bruso decided to find out on purpose.

The results? Not as disgusting as you might think, which itself is sort of disgusting.

She wrote:

“It smelled delicious for a few days. I’d get a whiff of those yummy French fries every time I walked into my office. After a week or so, you could hardly smell it. My husband worried that when the food began to decompose, there would be a terrible odor in our home. He also worried the food would attract ants and mice. He questioned my sanity.

NOPE, no worries at all. My Happy Meal is one year old today and it looks pretty good. It NEVER smelled bad. The food did NOT decompose. It did NOT get moldy, at all.”

The pitiful, slightly pained expression on the Littlest Pet Shop dog included with the meal says it all.

Happy Birthday to My Happy Meal [Baby Bites] (Thanks, Michelle!) Via Consumerist.

McVandals

Vandalized McDonalds billboard in the Interbay/Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. Somebody's been reading AdBusters again?