Washington, DC -Today, the nonprofit Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) launched a new million dollar ad campaign designed to put an end to the blatant inaccuracies surrounding the much-maligned ingredient: high fructose corn syrup. The campaign will communicate to the public what most experts already know, that high fructose corn syrup is nutritionally the same as sweeteners such as table sugar and honey.
“People have been spoon-fed misinformation about high fructose corn syrup,” said Center for Consumer Freedom Executive Director Rick Berman. “We thought it was time someone explained, in no uncertain terms, that high fructose corn syrup has the exact same number of calories as table sugar and is handled the same way by the body. Any non-agenda driven nutrition expert will tell you the same.”
The new television commercial, which features actors dressed as an ear of corn, a sugar cube and a honey bear standing in a police line-up, focuses on the fact that high fructose corn syrup has been wrongly accused of contributing to obesity more than other sweeteners. The “victim” in the commercial is unable to identify the sweetener responsible for making him “gain the weight” because all three sugars are nutritionally the same.
The television commercial will air on MSNBC, Fox News, CNN and CNBC and will run for three weeks.
The campaign launch also includes three full-page ads in national newspapers, USA TODAY, The New York Times, and the LA Times. A full-page ad will also run in Crain’s Chicago Business.
“I hope the public begins to understand that they have been misled into thinking that high fructose corn syrup is handled differently by the body than other sugars,” continued Berman. “Our campaign explains to consumers the truth about this type of corn sugar and lays to rest, once and for all, the notion that high fructose corn syrup is different from other sweeteners like beet sugar, cane sugar or honey. A sugar is a sugar. And all sugars should be enjoyed in moderation.”
