Legal Poisoning

From The Washington Post.

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

HFCS has replaced sugar as the sweetener in many beverages and foods such as breads, cereals, breakfast bars, lunch meats, yogurts, soups and condiments. On average, Americans consume about 12 teaspoons per day of HFCS, but teens and other high consumers can take in 80 percent more HFCS than average.

"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. Given how much high-fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies, said in a prepared statement.

In the first study, published in current issue of Environmental Health, researchers found detectable levels of mercury in nine of 20 samples of commercial HFCS.

Corn syrup is Big Fascist Business in the United States. It's subsidized by the government and Big Business dumps it into just about every processed food available. Corn syrup is known to be a major cause in obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. So mercury or no mercury, the food supply in this country is being filled with products toxic to the human body, and the FDA is entirely complicit.

Not surprisingly, the Corn Refiners Industry has issued a press released claiming that the study is flawed:

“The article’s authors and IATP engage in unfounded claims and speculations based on scant data of questionable quality. High fructose corn syrup is safe for use in foods and beverages. To imply that there is a safety concern based on this incomplete and flawed report is irresponsible,” stated Audrae Erickson, President of the Corn Refiners Association.

“The article and the report are based on outdated information of dubious significance,” Erickson added. “Americans should know that no mercury or mercury-based technology is used in the production of high fructose corn syrup in North America.”

“It is important to put these questionable findings into context. Trace amounts of mercury can be found in the air, water, soil, and many other foods. The authors admit that they cannot determine the source of the mercury cited in the report.”

“Equally important,” noted Erickson, “the amounts of mercury the authors and IATP purport to have found in food products containing high fructose corn syrup are far below levels of concern set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ah, that's the caveat, isn't it? Mercury is in EVERYTHING, so a little in the corn syrup doesn't hurt. And what's more, no one knows where the mercury is coming from. So pass the syrup, everybody!

Nothing is mentioned how MUCH corn syrup is dumped into our foods, and, therefore, more mercury is in our foods. And nothing is mentioned about determining where and how this mercury gets into the syrup, nor is anything mentioned about eliminating it.

Intentional or not, this is essentially the legal poisoning of the food supply, on the same level that adding flouride to drinking water makes the population more docile (Hitler's minions found this out rather quickly). Yet, there are no conclusive results that flouride in drinking water has prevented tooth decay (which was how the flouride was sold to us decades ago).

Mighty strange.