Sour on Corn Syrup

Starbucks, Jamba sour on corn syrup
Are latest chains to switch over to sugar

By LISA  JENNINGS
SEATTLE (June  22, 2009 )

Menu revamps at both coffeehouse giant Starbucks Corp. and smoothie leader Jamba Juice earlier this month have raised the stakes in the growing controversy over high-fructose corn syrup as a ubiquitous ingredient in American foodservice.

Beginning June 30, Starbucks said it would unveil a line of new baked goods made without what it called “unnecessary stuff,” including artificial flavors, colors, and, most significantly, high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS, which the chain said it has removed from the menu across the board.
 
Earlier this month, Emeryville, Calif.-based Jamba Juice also introduced a new food menu with sandwiches, salads, flatbreads and new Fruit Tea blends—all of which are also being promoted as free of HFCS and artificial flavors or preservatives. Now in 222 California locations, the menu is expected to be available throughout the 732-unit chain within a year, officials said.

A sweetener commonly used in place of sugar, HFCS has been assailed by some as a contributor to the nation’s growing problem with obesity and heart disease. A study published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation in May indicated that fructose-sweetened beverages led to higher levels of LDL, or “bad” cholesterol.

However, the American Medical Association maintains that HFCS has the same caloric content as sugar and, once absorbed in the bloodstream, the sweeteners are undistinguishable. Both will contribute to obesity if too much is consumed, according to the AMA, and many dietitians remain unconvinced that favoring sugar over HFCS is justified.

Still, the anti-HFCS sentiment among consumers is growing and some operators are responding.
The 212-unit Jason’s Deli chain, based in Beaumont, Texas, last year eliminated HFCS from its food menu. Officials with the 85-unit Which Wich chain, based in Dallas, say they are also moving in that direction.
Other restaurant operators are promoting “cane-sugar sweetened” products to appeal to HFCS-avoiding clientele.

When Taco Bell introduced its new Frutista Freeze beverages last year, the drinks were described as “sweetened with sucrose,” as opposed to HFCS.

Starbucks’ secondary brand, Seattle’s Best Coffee, also offers a line of Red Cane Kolas sweetened with pure cane sugar.

Starbucks, however, with its more than 7,000 units in the United States, is the largest chain to date to take a no-HFCS stand.

Officials at both Starbucks and Jamba Juice said their decisions to eliminate HFCS from menu items came in response to consumer demand. The moves, however, also offer the brands a point of differentiation at a time when competition for the consumers’ dollar is particularly tight.

While HFCS can be found in a range of products, from ketchup to bread, the sweetener is commonly used in sodas made in the United States, in part because it historically has cost less than cane or beet sugars and beverage makers favor its shelf stability and pourability, according to the Coke website.

However, some beverage companies appear to be responding to consumer demand for sugar-sweetened drinks.

PepsiCo earlier this year introduced a new “Pepsi Natural” in certain markets, sweetened with a blend of cane and beet sugars. The beverage maker also introduced for a limited time this spring a product called “Pepsi Throwback” and “Mountain Dew Throwback,” also cane and beet sugar-sweetened.
However, Nicole Bradley, a Pepsi spokeswoman, said the company has no current plans to bring HFCS-free products to Pepsi’s restaurant partners.

Ray Crockett, director of communications for Coca-Cola North America in Atlanta, said his company offers a range of products to meet consumer preferences, including beverages with non-nutritive sweeteners, such as Diet Coke.

With Coke as the leading brand, he said, “consumer research indicates that there is no discernible difference in the taste of our products based on the sweetener used. That authentic, real cola taste is why, around the world, a Coke is a Coke is a Coke.”

Still, in the Southeast, demand is growing for Coke made in Mexico, where the product is sugar sweetened. That demand is fueled both by the nation’s growing Hispanic population, as well as the anti-HFCS movement, reports indicate.

Crockett said Coke from Mexico is sold by bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises in several states, including Texas and California, and this year the product’s availability will expand to other states throughout the Southeast.
Jeff Sinelli, founder, president and “chief vibe officer” for the Which Wich sandwich chain, said his new secondary concept, Burguesa Burger

in Dallas, offers the sugar-sweetened Coke from Mexico—in part because of the concept’s appeal to Hispanic diners but also because he has designed the concept to avoid HFCS altogether. Burguesa Burger offers a proprietary line of cane-sugar sweetened fountain drinks, in cola, orange, grapefruit and lemon lime flavors. The drinks are priced about the same as mainstream brands: $1.50 for a small and $2 for a large, with free refills.

Sinelli said he is working to eliminate HFCS from the menu at Which Wich, but “100-percent elimination is really dependent on the manufacturers and will ultimately result in higher prices.”
Still, Sinelli is a believer in avoiding HFCS. His wife has battled a brain tumor in recent years that he thinks may have been diet related. They are attempting to raise their daughter on “clean” foods, and try to avoid HFCS as part of that effort.“We think it’s worth the investment,” he said.

Rusty Coco, co-owner of the Jason’s Deli sandwich chain, said he insisted on the removal of HFCS as part of a health-focused overhaul that began in 2004 and also included the removal of trans fats and monosodium glutamate.“We felt like it was the right thing to do before it was the popular thing to do,” Coco said.
Ultimately, the goal was to offer products that were “less fooled around with,” he said. “Cane sugar is more of a natural, pure ingredient.”

Coco said the result was better-tasting food, and that surveys and mystery shops indicated consumers loved it.

In terms of food costs, making the switch was “close to a wash,” he said, noting that high corn prices last year pushed up the cost of corn syrup products.

Coco, however, said the chain still offers fountain beverages made with HFCS, largely because of the company’s long-term contracts. Meanwhile, the chain has brought in bottled Boylan brand cane-sugar sweetened sodas as an alternative.

On his blog last year, Coco asked customers about soda preferences. About 7,000 responded, with 68 percent of those saying they would prefer cane-sugar sodas over HFCS-sweetened versions.
Coco said he has made such views clear to his suppliers.

“We’re hoping one of these major players will come to the market with a bag-in-the-box product that doesn’t use HFCS,” he said, referring to the type of packaging typically used for soda fountain beverages.—ljenning@nrn.com
 

Some places may switch over to sugar and tell you it's because they are concerned about their customers' health, but the biggest reason will be that HFCS has risen in price substantially because of the subsidies paid to corn growers for growing corn for biofuels.   Corn and all corn-based products have risen in price because of this.

jman


Some places may switch over to sugar and tell you it's because they are concerned about their customers' health, but the biggest reason will be that HFCS has risen in price substantially because of the subsidies paid to corn growers for growing corn for biofuels.   Corn and all corn-based products have risen in price because of this.

Your right as rain on that point and higher corn cost caused farmers to stop fatting hogs as much and the quality of my ribs dropped in December of last year. My average case weight went from 31 to 32 lbs to 28 to 29 lbs and dropping a few ounces per slab (12 in a case) makes a big difference in how they cook, the  appearance and overall taste. They are just now getting back to what they were in the early fall of last year. Not quite as good but much better than a month or so ago.  I hope this switch helps bring down the price of corn. If that happens it will improve the overall pork products and help keep the price per lb a little lower, although right now shoulders are at 98 cents a lb.

Dr of BBQ


Still, in the Southeast, demand is growing for Coke made in Mexico, where the product is sugar sweetened. That demand is fueled both by the nation’s growing Hispanic population, as well as the anti-HFCS movement, reports indicate.

Crockett said Coke from Mexico is sold by bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises in several states, including Texas and California, and this year the product’s availability will expand to other states throughout the Southeast.

HFCS is the primary reason for the serious epidemic of childhood obesity in the US. Look at the track record from when HFCS was introduced, how it was integrated into the US food manufacturing system and the result in the percentage of obese children in the 70s versus the current percentage.

Living in Dallas, we rarely buy soda for our teenage kids but when we do, we purchase Coke and Jarritos (sp?) both made with cane sugar. We are also diligent about reading labels where nearly everything has some level of HFCS. While we can't completely avoid HFCS, we keep our indulgences to a minimum. Something to think about...

We grocery shop 5-6 times each week, typically only buying what we need for the next 24-48 hours. We keep plenty of fresh produce, unfrozen meats, fresh pasta etc on hand. We grow baskets and baskets or tomatos, peppers, herbs - have fruit and pecan trees in our yard and try like the devil to keep everything as natural as possible. If we can do it so can anyone else. Both my teenage children eat well, healthy and have less medical issues than many of their friends.

To that end, I'm a hot dog fiend. I never said I was perfect :)

Glad to see many food industry major players realize the root of the problem.

I'm not sure I would totally agree that HFCS is the primary reason for childhood obesity in the US. Even though the record may reflect trends that make it appear to be so, and I’d be the first to agree it is a contributing factor.

But look at the difference in the way children spend their time from that period thru today. Lots of sitting on their duff, playing video games, watching TV, and on line time. But I’d agree HFCS is a contributing factor.


And adults are happy to let kids do whatever they want just so they (parents) can be left alone, and not be forced to do their jobs as parents. In fact that’s where I place the blame on why it’s so darn hard to find decent help in this day and age. Kids don’t do chores at home anymore and instead of learning a work ethic many are lazy and expect to be paid well for little or no effort.


 Weydig it’s good to know some parents are raising their children the right way and watching over their health and welfare.

Jack

PS I have been thinking for a long time of searching out some of the bottlers that still produce a good soda, root beer, orange drink, grape drink, and all the others that were produced in the 50s, and 60s. But they are so expensive and the shipping or travel involved for me to pick them up and haul them back to Springfield may well be cost prohibitive. Just not sure it would be enough of a draw to make it worthwhile.

Another serious issue with HFCS, in addition to obesity, is its link to Diabetes.  HFCS is so highly concentrated that the body can't produce enough insulin to metabolize it, which results in it being stored as fat cells.

If anyone gets the chance to taste the mexican version of Coke try it. In the Spanish food isle. A big difference. I drink about 4 sodas a year, and I don't drink what I offer out of coolers.
Other food additives that are just as high on my food list to avoid.