High-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is in hundreds of food products people eat every day. It’s in soda, ketchup, Pop-Tarts, Hershey’s syrup and more. Now, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., wants it gone.
Luna introduced two bills she said will increase food health and safety. One would ban high-fructose corn syrup in foods produced in the United States.
“A lot of our food that’s, you know, being trusted by many parents, especially are supposed to help children, and it’s actually hurting them,” Luna told Straight Arrow News. “And so what we’re finding is the food quality, and some of the additives in our food products, are actually making us sick.”
According to the FDA, high-fructose corn syrup is derived from corn starch which is broken down into individual glucose molecules, making corn syrup. Enzymes are then added to convert some of the glucose into fructose. Most high-fructose syrup contains between 42% to 55% fructose.
“We are not aware of any evidence…that there is a difference in safety between foods containing HFCS 42 or HFCS 55 and foods containing similar amounts of other nutritive sweeteners with approximately equal glucose and fructose content, such as sucrose, honey or other traditional sweeteners,” the FDA’s website said.
That explanation does not satisfy Luna, who called the FDA complicit in poisoning families.
“And so people that are, for example, relying on government assistance are actually being fed the cheapest stuff that long term increases disease and causes them to be sicker,” Luna said. “We have a lot of our government subsidies that are subsidizing essentially government issued poison.”
Luna’s other bill would ban three of the nine FDA-approved color additives: Red 40, Yellow 5 and Yellow 6. These additives are found in cereals, crackers, dairy products, Jell-O, sauces and more.
Luna said artificial and harmful ingredients are leading to fertility issues, autism and higher rates of cancer.
“I think right now that it’s become very evident that a lot of our food that’s, you know, being trusted by many parents, especially are supposed to help children, and it’s actually hurting them,” Luna said.
This bill is in the beginning of the legislative process and would still need to work it’s way through committees to get a vote.
