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ENG400-13

A proposal to investigate practical and effective solutions to major problems of the over usage of high fructose corn syrup.

Introduction
Today, it is inevitable to face negative effects of high fructose corn syrup because high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has replaced cane and beet sugar in processed foods and soft drinks over the past 25 years. When you read the food labels in your kitchen you’ll find that we now consume HFCS in all kinds of processed foods, not just desserts and drinks also in breads, cereals, ketchup and yogurt so you will easily realize that you associate with the devil by consuming devil’s candy. However, despite the alarming damages of HFCS there is a huge demand for HFCS by firms and governments. Profit concerns and governmental issues are the major reasons behind demand but also there are some problems related to consumers.
In this proposal it is intended to investigate the problems behind the over usage of HFCS and offer solutions against that danger, select the criteria to evaluate the applicability and efficiency of the proposed solutions and finally introduce the research methodology constituted the basis of my further research.

Problem Definition There are some problems caused by people, firms and governments lead us to over use HFCS. The followings are the most crucial problems behind this issue; I. Ignorance
People don’t know the difference between corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup. They think they are same but they are not. Corn syrup is mainly glucose produced from corn starch. There is no naturally occurring fructose in corn which is why corn isn’t sweet. But, in the 1950’s, scientists found a way to convert the glucose in corn into fructose. The resulting concoction is 90% fructose .That fructose is mixed with the corn syrup, which is glucose until a 45/55 balance is reached (fructose being the higher percentage). Later, in the 1970’s, the process was scaled and we saw the birth of the HFCS [1].Unfortunately, most of the people consume HFCS supposing it is their grandmothers’ corn syrup. Therefore, HFCS is consuming unconsciously too much. II. Attractiveness for the food industry
High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is often the sweetener of choice because it has lots of advantages. The first is that it is cheap. In 2007 the cost of 1 dry pound of HFCS was roughly 32 cents. At the same time, the cost of refined sugar was 52 cents per dry pound [2]. There is no wonder that the food industry uses it in order to keep costs down. The second reason HFCS is used instead of regular sugar is that it acts as a preservative thereby extending shelf life. Lastly, it provides many consumer benefits because it retains moisture, resists crystallization, reduces freezer burn and maintains sweetness. Thus, from the perspective of the food industry HFCS is a miracle additive. More sweet than regular sugar, almost half the price, and it’s also a preservative. III. High quotas of countries
Governments give permission to firms to produce and use HFCS because it provides financial profit. On the contrary, recently some countries realize the importance of that danger and begin to take action. For instance; UK, Holland and France banned the production of HFCS. Likewise, USA reduces their usage quotas to 2% although they are the world’s biggest producer of the corn. However, while all these has been happening Turkey has imported 500 000 tons of corn in 2010 to produce 400 ytl cheaper HFCS per ton. In addition to this, we raise our quota of usage from 10% to 15% in 2001 and council of minister enabled increasing or decreasing quotas by 50% with the 2001 sugar law [3]. IV. Health concerns
All these given problems behind the over usage of HFCS give a birth to biggest problem threatens our lives, health concerns.
The first big concern that has come up in recent years is mercury which is used in the production of HFCS and harms our neural system. There were tests done in 2005 that showed that a full third of all HFCS products contain some amount of mercury [4].
The other crucial health concern with HFCS is its role in obesity. Unlike carbohydrates made up of glucose, fructose does not stimulate the pancreas into producing insulin. Nor does it promote the production of leptin, a hormone made by fat cells. Under normal conditions, the amount of insulin and leptin in the body signal to the brain that you’ve had enough to eat. Meanwhile, fructose doesn’t seem to suppress the production of ghrelin, the hormone that triggers appetite, which normally declines after eating. In tinkering with the body’s hormonal balance, fructose also causes the liver to spew more fat into the bloodstream than normal [5]. In short, when you consume HFCS, you leave yourself open to the risk that you will over-consume calories from all sources, as your body will fail to realize when it is full.
In 2004, researchers from the Louisiana State University and University of North Carolina published a paper that theorized that high-fructose corn syrup in beverages could play a role in the obesity epidemic. They looked at the correlation between the 1,000 percent increase in high-fructose corn syrup consumption between 1970 and 1990, and a correlating rise in obesity rates. Because of the way the body metabolizes fructose from beverages, the researchers argued, it may play a role in the obesity epidemic [6].
Apart from these two main concerns, HFCS has many side effects such as diabetes, tooth infections and decay, triglycerides increase, increased risk of heart attack and heart disease, poor immunity and fatigue.

Proposed Solutions I. Limiting our consumption
The over usage of HFCS can be controlled and monitored by using less-packaged foods and using natural and alternative liquid sweeteners perform nearly the same function, such as agave nectar, maple syrup, honey, rice syrup, and golden syrup.

II. Asking for a local food
If you’re worried about corn syrup “hiding” in foods, read labels, cook for yourself as much as possible and while buying food ask where your food comes from and prefer locally-produced, fresher, more healthful foods from smaller producers.

III. Urge governments to reduce the quotas
Don’t let governments play with our future due to some profit and political counts. We may propose a resolution to UN in order to reduce the quotas or we may use media to remind people the facts of HFCS to make a corporate action.

Criteria for Assessing Solutions * Applicability: Proposed solutions must be realistic and practical. The offered solutions concern different sides such as consumers, firms, government and media. Therefore, solutions must be acceptable by these different sides. Adaptability of the solutions for different sides must be examined. * Simplicity: The proposed solutions should not be a figment of anybody’s imagination. They should be perceived well by everyone thus it will be possible to overcome problems. * Acceptability: In order for a particular solution to survive, it is a must gain public acceptance. Without public acknowledging the need and usefulness of that solution, it is not possible to implement the solution. * Effectiveness: Solutions must be sufficient to resolve the problems. Permanency of the solutions increases the effectiveness of the solutions. In some the comparison of the statistics and observations before and after the application of the solutions areas can be helpful to determine the effectiveness of the solutions.

Proposed Research Methodology
For further examination of effectiveness and practicality of the solutions, the research methodology is the following: * A survey can be made to find out what percentage of people ignorant about the HFCS. * More comprehensive research can be made to find out undirected problems of HFCS. * Analyzing the report about HFCS that the ministry of health will officially publish. * Searching more databases to find more statistics and graphs related HFCS. * Gathering information on applicability and acceptability of proposed solutions in the way of all sides by examining the solutions has been applying in other countries.

Bibliography
[1] “High fructose corn syrup: The facts” http://www.almightydad.com/fitness-nutrition/high-fructose-corn-syrup-the-facts [2] “The Sleaze that is the American Beverage Association” http://www.accidentalhedonist.com/index.php?cat=304 [3] Ahmet Atalık, “Cargill+Arttırılan Nişasta Bazlı Şeker Kotası = Kaybeden!!!” February 2004 http://www.antimai.org/bs/aataliknbs.htm
[4] “High fructose corn syrup: The facts” http://www.almightydad.com/fitness-nutrition/high-fructose-corn-syrup-the-facts [5] The Economist,”The fatness formula”, May 18th 2007 http://www.economist.com/node/9208296?story_id=9208296) [6] Kevin McCarthy, “The whole truth about high-fructose corn syrup
“,28 October 2008 http://blogs.consumerreports.org/health/2008/10/high-fructose-c.html .

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