HFCS and the New York Times
The internet is abuzz with commentary on the New York Times’s report on high-fructose corn syrup. The article claims that the sweetener, which many link to obesity, is just as harmless as the table sugar it replaces.
Michael Ruhlman practically gives an ovation to the author, mostly because it allows him a chance to rant about the demon chemical of yesteryear, nitrites. Parke Wilde at the well-informed U.S. Food Policy blog urges you to ignore the beginning, end, title, and subtitles, but gives a modest pass to the middle part. Well Fed founder Kate points out the economics behind HFCS’s widespread adoption. The Ethicurean expands on Kate’s point and files the story under “the cornification of America.”
Assuming the author of the piece got the facts right, she makes a compelling argument that high fructose corn syrup doesn’t have a direct link to obesity. However, she chooses to focus on that one narrow slice of a complex issue, and does her readers a disservice in the process. She might have had more positive responses if she had looked at how the government has subsidized HFCS, making it cheaper for companies to include in every product under the sun. HFCS by itself might not cause obsesity, but it has sweetened the American diet so much that we now have a national problem.
