High fructose corn syrup
The next pitstop was with corn milling food segment leader Colleen May, who fielded questions on two hot button issues for the food industry: High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and GMOs.
Industry sales of HFCS have declined in recent years - primarily because sales of carbonated soft drinks are declining - although the rate of decline has slowed a bit recently, said May.
And while some manufacturers did switch from HFCS to sugar in response to negative PR, many found that the expected sales boost from adding ‘No-HFCS’ to product labels did not materialize, prompting some (Hunt’s Ketchup, Miracle Whip, Capri Sun, Bull’s Eye BBQ sauce) to switch back, she said.
Meanwhile, despite the negative PR, surveys that ask consumers unaided questions about what they look for on food labels or restaurant menus, suggest that levels of concern about HFCS are much lower than surveys asking ‘aided’ questions suggest, she said.