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Corn Refiners call First Lady ‘misinformed’ about HFCS

The Corn Refiners Association, which represents the makers of high-fructose corn syrup, said today that First Lady Michelle Obama was misinformed about HFCS when she indicated agreement Monday with a chef’s comment that the body does not know how to digest HFCS and that people don’t need it.

“We applaud First Lady Michelle Obama’s commendable work to educate the public about nutrition and healthy diets,” said John Bode, president and CEO of the Corn Refiners Association. “It is most unfortunate that she was misinformed about how the body processes caloric sweeteners, including high-fructose corn syrup.”

“Years of scientific research have shown that the body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup similarly to table sugar and honey,” said Bode. “Moderation and the right caloric balance are key to a healthy lifestyle.”



At a cooking demonstration during the Easter Egg Roll on Monday, after Marc Murphy, a chef, drizzled honey on a fruit salad, the following exchange occurred:

“Why is honey better than sugar?” the first lady asked.



“Our bodies can deal with honey,” Murphy said. “The high-fructose corn syrup is a little harder to … I don’t think our bodies know what do with that yet.”

“Did you hear that?,” the first lady replied. “Our bodies don’t know what to do with high-fructose corn syrup. So we don’t need it.” F

–The Hagstrom Report