Is high fructose corn syrup considered a safe food ingredient?
Yes. In 1983, the FDA listed high fructose corn syrup as “Generally Recognized as Safe” (known as GRAS status) for use in food and reaffirmed that ruling in 1996. In its 1996 GRAS ruling, the FDA noted that “the saccharide composition (glucose to fructose ratio) of HFCS is approximately the same as that of honey, invert sugar and the disaccharide sucrose [table sugar].”20 GRAS recognition by FDA is important because it is only assigned to food ingredients that are recognized by experts as having a long history of safe use or as having their safety shown through adequate scientific studies. According to the American Dietetic Association, “…consumers can safely enjoy a range of nutritive and nonnutritive sweeteners when consumed in a diet that is guided by current federal nutrition recommendations … as well as individual health goals.”11 Read more about the safety of high fructose corn syrup.
