Mercury In High Fructose Corn Syrup

Great.  As if there weren’t enough problems with the stuff already, now there’s evidence of the toxic chemical mercury in high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

HFCS, of course, is a common artificial sweetener used in practically every processed food imaginable.  Both cheaper and sweeter than sugar, high fructose corn syrup has been linked to a whole host of health problems from obesity to diabetes to you name it.

A 2009 study on the sweetener (published on the web site of the Minneapolis-based nonprofit Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy) found that about 30% of products tested that contained HFCS also contained mercury.  These products included Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup, Frosted Blueberry Pop-Tarts, Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, and Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars.

There’s Mercury In High Fructose Corn Syrup?  From Where?

One of the chemical products used to make HFCS is caustic soda, and up until recently, mercury was used to make caustic soda.  Nowadays, hardly anybody in the US uses mercury to make caustic soda, but guess what?  Not everybody buys their high fructose corn syrup from US suppliers. A lot of this stuff comes from overseas.

So, that’s one way in which mercury might find its way into high fructose corn syrup.  But really, it doesn’t matter where it’s coming from, only that it’s there.

Dangers of Mercury

The effects of mercury depend on things like how much of it you’re exposed to, what sort of mercury it is (methylmercury is the worst), and the age and health of the person affected.  Elemental mercury is typically a problem when it’s inhaled.  Obviously we’re not dealing with that in a food product.

Methylmercury is more easily absorbed and tends to cause neurological problems, especially in fetuses and children.  Other forms of mercury are linked to GI tract problems (that’s how this type is absorbed) and damage to the kidneys as well as neurological symptoms.  So this is not stuff to mess around with.

Having said all that, the levels of mercury found in these foods was rather small (and the type was unclear).   Here’s the thing, though.  When I read the statement from ConAgra’s spokesperson which goes something like “the levels of mercury reported in our ketchup are well below the EPA’s safe exposure level”, I didn’t breathe a sigh of relief. I said to myself, why is there ANY mercury in ketchup?  How about ZERO mercury in my food?  Can we shoot for that?

Another thing I’d like to point out is the presence of HFCS, which is a seriously unhealthy additive even without the mercury, in what many people might think of as a “healthy snack”:  Nutri-Grain bars.  Folks, just because the word “grain” is the name, and there’s nice pictures of wheat or something on the package, doesn’t make it healthy.  If it comes in a box or a can, it’s probably junk.

It’s too hard to keep track of all of the nasty chemicals and additives put into these processed foods.  High fructose corn syrup is just one of many, many additives that will slowly kill you in disgusting ways, so why not avoid the issue entirely by sticking to whole, organic foods?  It’s a far more simple solution than trying to keep track of which unpronounceable chemicals do what, and a far more effective solution than waiting for the government to actually rein in and control the food industy (which will never happen).

Stick to whole foods, avoid the mercury and high fructose corn syrup, and stay healthy!