High fructose corn syrup

What this is

HFCS is best understood as an added sugar rather than a non-calorie sweetener. U.S. FDA regulation recognizes it as a direct food ingredient used under good manufacturing practice, and FDA’s consumer Q&A says it is not aware of evidence that foods with HFCS 42/55 are less safe than foods with comparable amounts of sucrose or other similar nutritive sweeteners. The concern is dietary exposure: HFCS contributes free/added sugar calories, and scientific bodies recommend limiting added or free sugars because high intakes can displace nutrient-dense foods and are linked with obesity, dyslipidemia, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, type 2 diabetes, and dental caries. EFSA could not set a safe upper level for dietary sugars and advised keeping added/free sugars as low as possible in a nutritionally adequate diet; WHO recommends free sugars below 10% of energy, with further reduction below 5% for additional benefits. The U.S. now also has a pending FDA citizen petition asking for action on refined carbohydrates, with secondary legal summaries identifying high fructose corn syrups in the petition’s refined-sweetener scope; no U.S. ban or all-food delisting has been enacted.

Safety Review

The health areas reviewed when evaluating an ingredient. This does not mean the ingredient is proven to cause harm.

FDA's packet position is that HFCS 42/55 is not known to be less safe than comparable sucrose or similar nutritive sweeteners. The concern is dose and dietary pattern: excess added/free sugars can displace nutrient-dense foods and are linked with obesity, dyslipidemia, fatty liver, type 2 diabetes, and dental caries, while short-term HFCS beverage trials showed lipid/lipoprotein and uric-acid increases.