Tag: sugar
-
Corn Refiners Trade Group Seeks New Name for High-Fructose Corn Syrup
The Corn Refiners Association has petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “to allow manufacturers the option of using ‘corn sugar’ as an alternative name for high fructose corn syrup.” The trade group contends that the public is confused about what the sweetener is and that “‘corn sugar’ succinctly and accurately describes what this natural…
-
Environmental Groups and Farmers Challenge GM Sugar Beet Permits
After the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that it had begun issuing permits to sugar beet seed producers to plant genetically modified (GM) crops this fall, the Center for Food Safety and a number of other groups filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging the action. When Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced the agency’s “next…
-
Court Vacates APHIS Deregulation of GM Sugar Beets; No New Planting Allowed for Now
A federal court in California has decided to stop all new planting of genetically modified (GM) sugar beets in light of its September 2009 ruling that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) violated environmental law when it deregulated the crop without conducting an appropriate environmental assessment. Ctr. for Food…
-
APHIS Seeks Comments on GM Sugar Beet Assessment
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has published a notice of its intent to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on genetically modified (GM) sugar beets. The agency had previously deregulated sugar beets genetically modified for glyphosate resistance without preparing an EIS and was ordered in September 2009 by…
-
Study Links Sugar to Elevated Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
A recent study has apparently found a “statistically significant association” between added dietary sugars and increased blood lipid levels in U.S. adults. Jean Welsh, et al., “Caloric Sweetener Consumption and Dyslipidemia Among US Adults,” Journal of the American Medical Association, April 2010. Researchers analyzed blood lipid levels and other nutritional data obtained from more than 6,000…
-
Study Linking HFCS to Obesity Draws Criticism from Health Experts
A recent study involving both short- and long-term animal experiments has purportedly linked high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) to significant weight gain in rats. Miriam Bocarsly, et al., “High-fructose corn syrup causes characteristics of obesity in rats: Increased body weight, body fat and triglyceride levels,” Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, March 2010. According to a March 23, 2010,…
-
Court Refuses to Stop Current Planting of GE Sugar Beets
A federal court in California has denied a request for preliminary injunction to halt the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) sugar beets while the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) completes its court-ordered environmental impact statement (EIS) for the crop under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Ctr. for Food Safety v. Schafer,…
-
Welsh Researcher Questions Evidence for Sugar Addiction
A recent study has reportedly questioned the current availability of scientific literature establishing evidence for physical sugar addiction in humans. David Benton, “The plausibility of sugar addiction and its role in obesity and eating disorders,” Clinical Nutrition, January 2010. David Benton, a psychology professor with the University of Swansea in Wales, apparently reviewed previous research…