Beer is Somehow Better without Corn Syrup? Let’s Stop the Nonsense.

“What a great Super Bowl ad bragging about how Bud Light is made with no corn syrup” …said NO U.S. CORN FARMER.

“Just what we need…another ad campaign based on scientific fearmongering” …said no U.S. scientist.

Silly-silly. Once again, food/beverage product marketers are trying to elevate a product by saying it doesn’t have some ingredient that’s actually NOT bad for people – banking on the fact that most Americans won’t understand what that ingredient is or does – and won’t take the time to look it up for themselves – and will thus just assume that it must be bad because they saw it on a commercial.

After all, it has worked for the organic marketing industry, the Non-GMO Project, and those who have profited by selling “antibiotic-free” meat and dairy products (when in reality, all meat and dairy products are antibiotic-free when they reach consumers). So…why not hype up the fact that beer is made without corn syrup, even though there’s nothing wrong with corn syrup?? It’s a proven tactic for putting money in the bank.

As a guy who grew up on a farm and worked in the agriculture industry for my entire career, this kind of stuff really makes my blood boil. Whether intentional or unintentional, the success of these campaigns comes at the expense of U.S. farmers – the very people putting food on the plates of the people who come up with these nonsense “free-from” marketing gimmicks. Talk about biting the hand that feeds you! And for companies to feign surprise when farmers are upset by campaigns that smear their products – and then declare their ongoing support for farmers – well, that seems a little more than insincere if you ask me.

It’s clear that I’m not the only one who’s fed up. My Twitter feed has been filled with farmers telling Bud Light that they’ve had enough. I’m behind them and the National Corn Growers Association – and I think it’s time for all American consumers to take a more proactive stance in exploring the real facts behind these nonsense marketing claims & tell the companies making them that enough is enough!

Here’s a simple breakdown of the facts in play for this campaign that you can feel free to share with your family and friends:

1) Corn syrup is safe and no worse for you than any other kind of sugar…whether it’s made from corn, sorghum, sugar beets or sugarcane. While this commercial only mentions regular corn syrup, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is most often demonized and misunderstood by consumers. Check out the Corn Refiners Association website for some solid facts on HFCS, like:

• In 1983, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) formally listed high fructose corn syrup as safe for use in food and reaffirmed that decision again in 1996.
• High fructose corn syrup is not sweeter than sugar; and high fructose corn syrup, sugar and honey all contain the same number of calories (four calories per gram).
• While high fructose corn syrup contributes to calories in the diet, there is no scientific evidence that high fructose corn syrup is a unique contributor to obesity or Type II diabetes.

2) Corn syrup is part of the brewing process, not a main ingredient. As Food & Wine pointed out in another article on this topic, “…brewing ferments sugars into alcohol anyway — meaning most light beers end up with little-to-no sugar regardless of what kind of fermentables you put in them. So, to imply that corn syrup is somehow worse for you by tacitly tying it into the criticism around high fructose corn syrup as an unhealthy sweetener is entirely misleading.”

Amen.

3) And of course we all know that Alcohol, on the other hand, is a known human carcinogen. There is a strong scientific consensus that alcohol drinking can cause several types of cancer (1, 2). Nonetheless, it’s a substance that most adults – myself included – are willing to take the risk to consume in moderation. So again…when we’re talking about alcohol…what’s the fuss about corn syrup? Men’s Health writer Paul Kita had a great line in an article he wrote on the “No Corn Syrup” debacle: "Rather than being concerned [or] arguing about the type of sweetener used to brew beer, worry about how much beer you're drinking.”

Amen to that too!

4) Lastly, corn farmers deserve our thanks – not underhanded marketing messages that undermine the work they do. There are over four thousand uses for corn – I guarantee that your family depends on dozens of corn-derived products every day (if not hundreds) that you would never guess are linked to corn – from yogurt to salad dressing to a wide array of necessities including toothpaste, diapers, cosmetics and aspirin! Check out this great chart from Iowa State University to see a few more of them. The point is that we owe corn farmers thanks for more than just the food we eat. The often-backbreaking work they do helps make our comfortable lives possible, so let’s pay them back with a little respect and gratitude. You can learn more about the work U.S. farmers do on the National Corn Growers Association website. I especially like this World of Corn page.

Bottom line: the last thing this country needs is yet another food/beverage ad campaign based on meaningless claims. I just hope that the silliness has reached a crescendo – the point at which the American public takes a step back and starts to question all the nonsense that marketers have been spoon-feeding them over the last decade. Americans have all the tools at their fingertips to look up the real science behind food label claims and it’s time that they start using them. A world in which consumers take back the power to separate fact from fiction and tell marketers they can’t be duped…now, that’s a dream I can drink to!