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America’s Corn Syrup Addiction Began With Deceit
What do Japan’s Fermentation Research Institute, Secretary of Agriculture Earl “Rusty” Butz and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan have in common? Answer: Each, in their way, helped foster America’s widespread adoption of high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has vowed to ban.
The country’s dependence on corn syrup is the product of historical events that look like raw material for a Thomas Pynchon novel. They’re stranger than fiction — and they help explain the backlash Kennedy’s crusade will face, given the financial ripple effects expected across the many industries involved in getting food and beverages onto grocery store shelves.
One of the first adopters was jam and jelly maker JM Smucker Co. Its CEO, Paul Smucker, told the Wall Street Journal in 1976 that ADM and its competitors “couldn’t have picked a better time to come on stream with new capacity.” Smucker insisted the sugar substitute was better than the real thing: “High fructose has the little extra we’ve been seeking to enhance the flavor of the product.”
While Smucker believed the ultra-processed ingredient had a certain je ne sais quoi, others were more skeptical — particularly after sugar prices began to fall, making the traditional sweetener more competitive.
New Report Issues Alarming Grades to Major Food Companies for Their Farming Practices — Here’s What You Need to Know
Several large food companies received a near-failing “D” grade for their support of sustainable farming practices, according to a new corporate assessment released by the nonprofit As You Sow, reported The New Lede.
The watchdog group evaluated 20 food corporations on their programs and policies related to regenerative agriculture, which focuses on building healthy soil. Companies like W.K. Kellogg Co. and B&G Foods scored the lowest marks, while PepsiCo, McCain Foods, and Lamb Weston earned the highest ratings.
More than half the assessed companies have created regenerative agriculture programs with measurable goals, and many offer financial incentives to farmers. But the report found most companies aren’t aggregating field-level data from suppliers, creating a gap in tracking progress.
RFK Jr. Says Americans Should Eat More Dairy: ‘A Renaissance Moment in Health in America’
The Christian Broadcasting Network reported:
It looks like cheese and other full-fat dairy products will soon be on the menu again. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced America’s soon-to-be-released new dietary guidelines will include more dairy.
“I grew up in a world where milk was the healthiest thing that you could eat. There’s been an attack on whole milk and cheese,” he said, adding HHS is “about to release new dietary guidelines in the next several months that will elevate dairy.”
Kennedy made the comments alongside dairy industry leaders who pledged to remove artificial food colors from ice cream within the next three years. He said dairy’s health benefits are numerous. “There’s a tremendous amount of emerging science that talks about the need for protein in our diet and more fats in our diet and there’s no industry that does that better than this industry,” Kennedy said.
Will MAHA make our food healthier?
Environmental Working Group reported:
The Trump administration is determined to “Make America Healthy Again” and has made healthier food a central part of its strategy. Has the president in his second term made our food healthier? What would it really take to support healthy diets?
So far, the administration has pledged to change how new food chemicals are reviewed and proposed a new way to triage the safety of the food chemicals we’re already eating.
The White House has also secured industry commitments to remove food dyes ahead of the statutory deadline set by West Virginia. And it recently asked the public to help shape a federal definition of ultra-processed foods.
But government agencies have not yet banned any food chemicals of concern, including those linked to cancer and other serious health harms, or set limits on the presence of toxic chemicals in our food.
‘It’s Just PR’: Skittles, Hershey and Nestle Are Removing Artificial Colors
The Trump administration declared victory after Kraft Heinz, Skittles and General Mills made splashy announcements to remove artificial colors — even taking credit for Coca-Cola’s plan to replace high-fructose corn syrup with U.S. cane sugar in a new version this fall.
“President Trump delivers on MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) push,” the White House said last month, touting the companies’ changes to “confront the chronic health crisis plaguing Americans.” But nutritionists and public health researchers don’t buy the hype.
So far, companies have only made performative changes, they say, many of which were long in the works due to consumer demand for natural ingredients. Meanwhile, the administration’s funding cuts for health care, food stamps, research and public health programs run contrary to its goal of making Americans healthier.
“These are cosmetic changes with no health impact. They just allow the MAHA people to say they had a victory,” said Dr. Barry Popkin, a professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina. “It’s just PR.”
