Posted on 01/28/2009 8:01:36 AM PST by BGHater
Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.
HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," said the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies.
In the first study, researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS. The study was published in current issue of Environmental Health.
In the second study, the agriculture group found that nearly one in three of 55 brand-name foods contained mercury. The chemical was most common in HFCS-containing dairy products, dressings and condiments.
The use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS is common. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce caustic soda.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Last week I was in Dublin, Texas.
I bought a case of Dublin Dr. Pepper.
In the glass bottles.
Nothing tastes as good as an ice cold Dr. Pepper as you drink it right from the bottle.
Withought HFCS.
Read more....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin_Dr_Pepper
Not in Europe! Not in Mexico!! HCFS was brought to you by the Department of Agriculture of the USA.
Thanks! I have to tell my brother about this. He loves DP but stopped drinking it because of the HFCS.
Yes, I know. HFCS was bought and paid for by a LOT of political donations.
Right. So after drinking 66 gallons of corn syrup, you'll have accumulated the same amount of mercury as from drinking one gallon of tap water. All carnivores are big accumulators of mercury. The best bet is to only eat young herbivores and drink scotch.
Well, let’s use sugar cane for dietary needs and ‘field’ corn for biofuels ...
and sweet corn for the table ...
oops, wait a minute ... something’s not right
http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fortune/0804/gallery.green_biofuels.fortune/3.html
The pros and cons of biofuels
My dad had a cool Mercury back in ‘56 ;o)
i have tried to eliminate it from my diet. then i saw it was in my favorite brand of whole wheat bread! so now i have to buy weight watchers whole wheat pita!
(i am 6'3", 205 pounds. not fat at all)
Not only is that the quote of the day, it is also sound advice. Kudos!
I’m right there with you, albie. I eat organic and there is not one product in my house that contains high fructose corn syrup.
No, I didn’t see this. Thanks for the ping.
And ping to others whose ping lists would be interested.
You can find Coca-Cola made with cane sugar instead of corn syrup in stores that cater to Mexicans. It’s imported, from Mexico of course.
Looks like this guy caught the train late, he may have a short ride; from a Wiki contributor:
“Mercury cell
Main article: Castner-Kellner process
In the mercury-cell process, also known as the Castner-Kellner process, a saturated brine solution floats on top of the cathode which is a thin layer of mercury. Chlorine is produced at the anode, and sodium is produced at the cathode where it forms a sodium-mercury amalgam with the mercury. The amalgam is continuously drawn out of the cell and reacted with water which decomposes the amalgam into sodium hydroxide and mercury. The mercury is recycled into the electrolytic cell. Mercury cells are being phased out due to concerns about mercury poisoning from mercury cell pollution such as occurred in Canada (see Ontario Minamata disease) and Japan (see Minamata disease).”
How so? Did the DOA issue guidelines requiring HFCS in food products? Or did manufacturers find HFCS cheaper and more readily available than sugar and/or other sweeteners?
It's also the reason Hershey has moved some of their manufacturing plants to Mexico. It's not the production costs that are cheaper, it's the fact that if they import the sugar and make the chocolate in the US, the sugar costs much more than if they manufacture the bar in Mexico and import it to the US. The tariff specifically affects sugar imported for manufacturing of food products, not entire food products.
I like to grow my own food, and I also like to purchase meat, dairy, and produce from local farmers; I feel like I am putting money back into the community, and it tastes much better too.
Ever see how much catsup the average teen eats? ;)
Manufacturers found it cheaper and the DOA and FDA didn’t find anything wrong with it, even though other countries have it on the ban list!
I like your idea the best!
The veal and scotch diet, expensive, but darn well worth it.
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