I haven't posted about HFCS in a long time, for a variety of reasons. But you should be aware that the folks who profit most (That'd be Archer Daniels Midland and other companies of similar ilk) are in the midst of a campaign to alert consumers that "No, really, honest, there's nothing wrong with the stuff".

Here are a few of their campaign spots. Yes, these are political ads for food, which in of itself is noteworthy.

If you want to key on any phrase in these spots, it's the "when used in moderation" line, because, as we know, HFCS is in damn near everything, including products that don't need sweetener, such as yogurt, bread, and cough syrups.

But, if you want to push the issue, if anyone ever asks what's wrong with HFCS besides the fact that we indulge in way too much of the stuff, here are a few other talking points.

1) There is debate going on HFCS's role in the upswing in diabetes cases. In may be related to our increased consumption of the sweetener (as per above), or it might be something else. The science is still working this argument out.

2) It isn't natural. Oh, they may meet the letter of the law in defining itself as natural, but they haven not only broken its spirit, they stepped on it, jumped on it, and ground the law into dust. Unless a person has ready access to centrifuges, hydroclones, ion-exchange columns, and buckets of enzymes, there's simply no way for a regular lay person to make high fructose corn syrup. None. Zero. It's not natural, no matter how they dress it up.

3) They didn't perform long-term tests on the product before putting it on the market.

4) It tastes different than cane sugar. Compare Jellies made with sugar against those made with HFCS. Or Cola.

But really, regardless of these four points, the overabundance of the sweetener is the one that truly needs to be addressed.

Thanks to Ken over at Fast Food Facts