3 December 2007 - Seattle organic food retailer PCC (Puget Consumers Cooperative) Natural Markets last week completely removed all products from its stores containing High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS).
PCC claims that HFCS is a highly processed sweetener with no nutritional value that studies have linked to obesity and other health problems.
"PCC began the process of eliminating products with HFCS several months ago," says Paul Schmidt, PCC's director of merchandising. "We gave our vendors the opportunity to reformulate and repackage products containing HFCS, with the understanding that compliance with our HFCS-free standard was expected within a reasonable length of time. Their response was very positive and we have replaced items across our product line with HFCS-free offerings that we and our shoppers can feel good about."
According to local press reports, PCC wrote to manufacturers saying the chain's stores would begin phasing out HFCS products in the summer of 2006. Since then some suppliers changed sweeteners.
The reports cite Judy's Candy in California who switched to corn syrup, and Just Desserts who moved to sugar. For a while, PCC took Power Bar products off shelves, but it replaced them when HFCS-free products were available.
However, a few manufacturers did not comply. PCC removed less than 50 products, from snack bars to salad dressing.
The final product to go last week was a soda brand that PCC declined to name because the company is in the process of eliminating HFCS, added the reports.
To fill gaps, the grocery chain added products such as carbonated beverages sweetened with fruit juice and stevia. “PCC sells a wide selection of snacks and other food products containing healthier natural sweeteners such as evaporated cane juice, molasses, honey, maple syrup and stevia”, PCC said in a statement.
PCC is not the only company in the area to have removed HFCS.
Also based in Seattle, Jones Soda is the only US soda producer to have made the shift from high fructose corn syrup to sugar. In a feature article in May, FLEXNEWS reported that the soft drinks firm decided to return to sugar after conducting a survey that showed that its customers wanted sugar-based products.
Toronto Study
PCC’s decision is seen as another blow to companies using HFCS, which is increasingly taking the blame for the U.S. obesity problem as it is present in many processed foods.
A new study, however, casts some doubt on this idea.
Toronto researchers found last week that HFCS did not differ from regular table sugar in its effects on people's appetite and food intake later in the day. These findings counter the argument that HFCS is contributing to the rise of obesity and diabetes.
The scientists conducted 2 tests with 31 young healthy men. In each, the men were given various sugar solutions to drink (containing either table sugar, HFCS or other combinations of glucose and fructose). All of the solutions had the same number of calories. 30 minutes later, they were allowed to eat all the pizza they wanted.
In general, the researchers found that there was no difference in the men's reported hunger levels or food intake whether they had HFCS or table sugar beforehand.
PCC is a certified organic retail cooperative with annual sales of USD 112 million and an active membership of nearly 40,000 households. PCC operates 8 stores in the Seward Park, View Ridge, Greenlake, West Seattle, Fremont, Kirkland, Redmond, and Issaquah neighborhoods. PCC is the largest consumer-owned food cooperative in the United States.
Earlier this year, PCC announced the elimination of all fresh dairy products containing rBGH, the artificial growth hormone which can increase the dairy cow’s milk production and all products containing artificial trans-fats.