High fructose corn syrup banned in Europe?

Answer 1

No is in mst products now, even studys in the US are showing that it contain very high levels of Mercury.

Glucose fructose syrup: the crack of sweeteners...

Have you heard of HFCS? Did you know that it's an ingredient in a wide variety of food products including biscuits, drinks, ice cream, yogurts, cakes and soups?

HFCS (high fructose corn syrup), is known as glucose fructose syrup in the UK and is made from maize starch.

It is now being widely used instead of beet and cane sugar (sucrose) as it's cheaper to produce and easier to blend into foodstuffs. It contains around the same number of calories as sugar, but it is thought that the body does not metabolise the syrup in the same way as sugar and that this can lead to weight gain.

For more information read this article from The Times: Beware the Devil's candy

Here are some products that contain glucose fructose syrup:

• Kellogg's Cornflakes

• Kellogg's All Bran

• Kellogg's Rice Crispies

• Ribena

• Ocean Spray cranberry juice

• Mullerice apple & Mullerice caramel

• Yoplait Petits Filous

• Fromage Frais

• Coca-Cola

Beccy from Hertfordshire says: I was reading an article recently about glucose fructose syrup. It is causing major concerns in the US where it is widely used. It is chemically altered fructose that is 10 times sweeter than sugar. It is becoming more commonly used here because it is cheap and manufacturers don't have to use as much. Obviously it's chock full of empty calories, but there are also concerns about how it affects your metabolism with some research suggesting that it is more likely to cause obesity.

I found it as a main ingredient in Jaffa Cakes - which is worrying when they bill themselves as "healthy" due to low fat content - another example of low fat foods relying on chemicals and sugars (the worst of both worlds in this case!) to make them more palatable.

Answer 2

No, it is not banned.

In the European Union (EU), HFCS, known as isoglucose, is subject to a production quota. In 2005, this quota was set at 303,000 tons; in comparison, the EU produced an average of 18.6 million tons of sugar annually between 1999 and 2001.

So, while it is not banned the consumption of it is limited.

Answer 3

Does anyone know if Europe bans the importation and sale of HFCS containing foods?