Danger of High Fructose Corn Syrup - Mercury Contamination in Food
Overview
Almost everyone is aware that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is unhealthy. Unfortunately it is in many of the popular brands of foods. New information has surfaced that shows some high fructose corn syrup is contaminated with mercury. Mercury is a powerful neurotoxin and the dangers of it are undisputed. Yet, the FDA has done nothing to recall the tainted products nor has it shut down the processing plants that are contaminating the food supply. In this case, what you don’t know can hurt you and your family.
Cargill Tanker Containing HFCS
Background
Not all high fructose corn syrup is contaminated with mercury. There are a few processing plants in the US that produce high fructose corn syrup using a method that was common in the late 19th century. These outdated chlorine plants, called chlor-alkali plants, use mercury to produce sodium hydroxide and other industrial food ingredients. Most industrial chlorine plants have modernized their facilities and no longer use mercury. It is the few that have not upgraded that are wreaking potential havoc with our health.
Making High Fructose Corn Syrup
High fructose corn syrup starts out as corn kernels. These kernels go through a process that separate the corn starch from the kernel and converts it into corn syrup. This process is called acid hydrolysis. It creates a wet starch mix. A weak hydrochloric acid mixes with the starch which is then heated and put under pressure to break down the starch even further. Alpha-amylase, a genetically modified enzyme, gets added to break the starch into short polysaccharide chains. At this point it is shipped from the large chemical companies such as Cargill or ADM to the smaller manufacturers.
The manufacturers continue the process of creating HFCS. They treat the polysaccharides that they received from the larger chemical company with glucoamylase. This enzyme, also genetically modified, converts the polysaccharides into glucose. The mixture is further processed resulting in a product that is approximately 42% fructose, 52% glucose, and 6% other saccharides. This is known as high fructose corn syrup 42 or HFCS-42.
In 1984, the beverage industry began using a different process that resulted in a product that contained 90% fructose. The product is back blended with HFCS-42 and a product known as HFCS-55 is created. The number after HFCS refers to the percentage of fructose in the high fructose corn syrup.
Sodium hydroxide or lye is used in many steps during the processing. This is where the mercury contamination of food occurs.
Health Concerns
The health issues caused by mercury contamination are not in dispute. It is a potent neurotoxin that has adverse effects on brain function. Warnings about fish consumption due to mercury content in fish are common place. Foods like canned tuna and other popular cold water fish contain warnings about consumption, especially in pregnant women and children.
Mercury contamination has been said to be a cause of autism in children. To date there are no studies published in peer reviewed forums that either confirm or deny this link.
The Science Behind it All
A report published online in Environmental Health, mentions that out of 20 products sampled, 9 of them contained mercury. These were not obscure products. Common items, some considered healthy, were tested and had mercury levels above what was considered safe. Some of these products were Strawberry Yoplait Yogurt, Blueberry Frosted Pop-Tarts, Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, Quaker Oatmeal to Go, and Kemp’s Fat Free Chocolate Milk. This is not a complete list, just a few that were tested.
These findings are further supported by a report published by The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy titled Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup.
What Can You Do?
Avoid products containing high fructose corn syrup. It can be difficult, especially if you live in less populated areas where choices at the grocery store are limited. This sweetener is in everything from bread and mayonnaise to yogurt, jams, cereals, and chocolate milk. School lunch programs offer many of the products tested as part of their meals.
Eating healthy involves avoiding overly processed foods. Instead of purchasing flavored yogurt, try plain yogurt and add fresh fruit to it. Avoid any bread or cereals containing high fructose corn syrup.
If your children are showing signs of behavioral problems or learning disabilities, have them tested to see what their mercury levels are. This is especially important if you are using any of the food that tested positive for mercury contamination.
What is the Government Doing?
The FDA, the CDC (Center for Disease Control), the EPA and the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) are all aware of this situation. In fact, representatives from the EPA and the FDA were involved in the study that resulted in the Environmental Health online article. To date there are no recalls on any of the products listed, nor has any attempt been made to ban mercury processed products from entering the food supply.
The big question here is why are the agencies who are supposed to be protecting our food supply and the consumer not doing their jobs?
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This post is part of the series: High Fructose Corn Syrup - The Dangers of HFCS & Foods that Contain It
High fructose corn syrup (aka HFCS, glucose-fructose and isoglucose) has been replacing sugar in several processed foods across the nation. Unfortunately, there are dangers of high fructose corn syrup. Learn what some of these dangers are and which foods contain HFCS in this article series.