Leading Consumer Action Group Sponsors Petition to Tell US Food Makers "We Don't Want High Fructose Corn Syrup"

WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As concerns grow around the controversial industrial sweetener, High Fructose Corn Syrup, one of the nation's most respected consumer advocacy groups, Citizens for Health, is sponsoring a petition to tell the US Food & Beverage industry that American families do not want the man-made ingredient in the products they buy. Its petition on FoodIdentityTheft.com is in response to a new campaign launched recently by the companies that make High Fructose Corn Syrup (or HFCS) that tries to convince food and beverage producers that consumers don't care whether their products contain HFCS.

"Because the makers of High Fructose Corn Syrup were foiled by a recent FDA ruling that says they cannot call their man-made sweetener "corn sugar," this new campaign attempts to convince the food industry that families don't care whether they consume foods and beverages containing HFCS," said Jim Turner, who leads Citizens for Health.

Evidence shows that millions of Americans do in fact care. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has reported decreased demand for HFCS as consumers grow increasingly suspicious about this industrial sweetener.  This drop in consumer demand – and the decreasing sales of HFCS – is the apparent reason behind the (failed) attempt to legally change the product's name on food labels, and the motivation behind this new ad campaign directed at the food industry.

Turner noted, "Consumers are avoiding HFCS for many reasons, but the main reason is simple: scientific evidence shows that consuming HFCS can lead to health problems." A number of scientific studies have shown that consuming HFCS may lead to serious health problems, including obesity, childhood diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease.

"Our goal is to deliver 100,000 signatures to the country's largest food and beverage makers, grocery retailers and chain restaurants to tell them we do not want HFCS in the foods we buy," added Turner.

About Citizens for Health

Funded by concerned consumers, non-profit partners, food growers, and businesses, Citizens for Health is a non-profit organization that provides over 130,000 supporters with the latest consumer news, action alerts, and ways to demand access to healthy food, non-toxic products, and truthful, non-misleading health information.  More information is available at www.citizens.org.

SOURCE Citizens for Health