Sugar, on Labels as a Selling Point

[DainBramaged]

Sugar, the nutritional pariah that dentists and dietitians have long reviled, is enjoying a second act, dressed up as a natural, healthful ingredient.

From the tomato sauce on a Pizza Hut pie called “The Natural,” to the just-released soda Pepsi Natural, some of the biggest players in the American food business have started, in the last few months, replacing high-fructose corn syrup with old-fashioned sugar.

ConAgra uses only sugar or honey in its new Healthy Choice All Natural frozen entrees. Kraft Foods recently removed the corn sweetener from its salad dressings, and is working on its Lunchables line of portable meals and snacks.

The turnaround comes after three decades during which high-fructose corn syrup had been gaining on sugar in the American diet. Consumption of the two finally drew even in 2003, according to the Department of Agriculture. Recently, though, the trend has reversed. Per capita, American adults ate about 44 pounds of sugar in 2007, compared with about 40 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup.

“Sugar was the old devil, and high-fructose corn syrup is the new devil,” said Marcia Mogelonsky, a senior analyst at Mintel International, a market-research company.

With sugar sales up, the Sugar Association last year ended its Sweet by Nature campaign, which pointed out that sugar is found in fruits and vegetables, said Andy Briscoe, president of the association. “Obviously, demand is moving in the right direction so we are taking a break,” Mr. Briscoe said.

Blamed for hyperactivity in children and studied as an addictive substance, sugar has had its share of image problems. But the widespread criticism of high-fructose corn syrup — the first lady, Michelle Obama, has said she will not give her children products made with it — has made sugar look good by comparison.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/21/dining/21sugar.html?_r=1&hp

good article, 2 pages.

[elleng]

1. "Natural"

.

[flvegan]

2. DU cracks me up time to time.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5300537&mesg_id=5300633

[Raine]

3. Sugar is a hell of a lot

better than corn syrup. x(

[tridim]

4. It tastes better too.

If I'm going to sin anyway I'd rather it taste as good as possible.

[Captain Hilts]

11. that's why I prefer kosher coca cola. nt

[1]

5. "bahhh..."

"what is the sound sheep make, alex!"

:rofl:

[Raine]

6. Well my father was literally poisoned

from corn syrup so I'm not feeling very fond of it. :-(

[1]

7. we are all snowflakes. peanuts bother some too...

your father's intolerance aside, since hfcs is in 90% of all processed food, how is it suddenly that sugar is so superior and natural?

do you really believe sugar doesn't literally poison people too?

[Raine]

8. Sugar isn't good for you either

but after the experience with corn syrup I myself would prefer sugar if I had to choose. I try to stay away from both though.

[1]

9. cool. ok. me too.

peace...

[MattBaggins]

18. No it's not

They equally bad for you.

[Captain Hilts]

10. We know what sugar does to us. HFC and artificial sweetners, not. nt

[nuxvomica]

12. The article omits a huge difference between the two sweeteners

It says...

Both sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are made from glucose and fructose. The level of fructose is about 5 percent higher in the corn sweetener.

...but HFCS is a mixture of glucose and fructose while sucrose is a compound of the two
monosaccharides. Therefore, they are going to be metabolized differently. They are almost literally as different as apples and oranges.

[DainBramaged]

13. Aren't apples and oranges fruit?

While we spend hours debating the nuances of the phrasing within the article, the point is, sugar, in it's purest form, is making a comeback, and in spite of the fact that so many here on DU want us to wear sackcloth and eat dirt, life needs a little sweetening once in a while, and I personally think sugar is a better choice.

[nuxvomica]

15. Yes but apples have more fructose, oranges more sucrose

Too much of anything is a bad thing. IIRC, there was a case of a man who was hospitalized for consuming too much oat bran. I'm pleased about the resurgence of sugar over HFCS just because I know it tastes better. Hopefully, this will help to thaw our relations with Cuba, too.

[DainBramaged]

16. There may be more to the Cuba/sugar scenario than meets the eye.

We're Talkin Obama the Thaw President, not Booshe the Ice berg pResident.

[Autumn]

14. Neither one

is healthy. Personally I prefer the taste of sugar.

[MattBaggins]

17. Now made with an all natural toxin

Yippy!!!

[Sinistrous]

19. At least there are moderate levels of sugar that are not harmful.

Unlike high fructose corn syrup and the artificial chemical soups that are used as substitutes.

[NeedleCast]

20. Sugar is good

I like eating it.