Foods That Have High Fructose Corn Syrup

Apr 24, 2010 | By Sapna Pathak

From tomato soup, chocolate chip cookies, crackers to iced tea, finding common foods without high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is becoming more and more difficult unless you never leave the grocery store's organic-foods section. Registered dietitian Kim Dorval says that the link between the introduction of HFCS to the mainstream population and the rise in obesity within that population continues to grow since the 1980s, when HFCS became a popular--and cheap--substitute for table sugar.

Soft Drinks

Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi stopped using sugar in soft drinks, replacing it with HFCS since November 1984, according to a 1998 article from the Future of Freedom Foundation. A combination of glucose and sucrose, HFCS allows sodas to maintain their sweet taste but also have a longer shelf-life. Most soft drinks use a type of HFCS called HFCS 55, which contains 55 percent fructose and 45 percent dextrose. "The dextrose can be comparable to table sugar, but the fructose is artificial and chemically made so the body can't break it down and just stores it as fat," says Dorval.

Baked Goods

With American calendars getting tighter, more consumers look to instant mixes and premade baked goods to satisfy their sweet tooth on the go. Bakeries in grocery stores feature cakes, cookies and treats promoting a longer shelf life and fresher taste, while their snack aisles are lined with packaged cookies and crackers which contain HFCS. "HFCS is a chemically modified version of a sweetener," says Dorval. "It's what makes those cookies last a couple weeks and taste the same as when you open the package."

Yogurt

Most yogurts contain HFCS 42, which consists of 42 percent fructose and 58 percent glucose. According to the Corn Refiners Association, HFCS in yogurt "Provides fermentable sugars, enhances fruit and spice flavors, controls moisture to prevent separation and regulates tartness."