High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)
Also known as: HFCS, Glucose-fructose syrup, Isoglucose
Sweetener
US-EU Regulatory Divergence
This additive has different regulatory status in the US and EU — what's permitted in one region may be restricted or banned in the other.
Regulatory Status
United States (FDA)
GRASFDA GRAS status. Ubiquitous in US food supply. FDA rejected the corn industry's petition to rename it "corn sugar."
European Union (EFSA)
ApprovedApproved in EU (called "isoglucose" or "glucose-fructose syrup"). EU production quotas were lifted in 2017.
Safety Profile
The most debated food ingredient in America. Nutritionally similar to table sugar but consumed in much higher quantities due to its low cost and ubiquity in processed foods. The problem may be dose, not the molecule itself.
Health Concerns
- • Linked to obesity epidemic (correlation, causation debated)
- • Associated with fatty liver disease
- • Not metabolically identical to table sugar despite industry claims
- • Mercury contamination concerns from manufacturing (traced to chlor-alkali process)
Commonly Found In
Sources: FDA Substances Added to Food, EFSA opinions, EU Regulation 1333/2008, IARC monographs
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