Mercury Found in HFCS

The debate rages on. A recent study conducted by a team of researchers at The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) has brought this suspect sweetener under investigation once again, this time for possession of mercury. Yes, that’s the same chemical found to threaten vital organs, including the brain, heart, kidneys, and lungs—not to mention the nervous systems of developing infants. The Minneapolis-based non-profit scanned the shelves for products listing high-fructose corn syrup as the first or second ingredient by weight and found 17 of the 55 foods tested tainted with detectable levels of mercury. With Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup, Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup, and Frosted Blueberry Pop Tarts topping the list of contaminated products, natural sweeteners such as agave, maple syrup, and organic sugars have never looked better.