Milling & Baking News - February 22, 2005 - 39

C O R N

W E T

M I L L I N G

Association takes closer look at
corn as part of healthy diet

tion and balance in diet and moderate
exercise as a reasonable response to the
obesity threat.
Whether the fallout from nutrition
BY PETER A. MEYER
Economic Research Service of the U.S. concerns, the encroachment of highThe Corn Refiners Association repre- Department of Agriculture, Dr. White intensity sweeteners or a more basic
sents the vast majority of companies shows that annual HFCS
change in consumer
and volumes in the corn wet milling per capita consumption
taste, 2003 was not a
industry, including all of the high fruc- peaked in 1999 at 63.7 lbs
good year for HFCS.
tose corn syrup producers. Its board of per person. Total caloric
Comparisons with prior
directors is made up of senior execu- sweetener consumption,
years' Corn Annual
tives of the various member companies which includes refined
statistics show, for the
with a chairmanship that revolves each sugar, HFCS, glucose
first time in memory, a
year.
(corn syrup) and dexdecline in both 42 and
The professional staff is headed by trose, reached its apex in
55 HFCS shipments.
Audrae Erickson, president of the as- that same year at 151.4 lbs per person
The 55 HFCS reduction of 3.1% indisociation. Each year in addition to rotat- per year. It has receded dramatically cates a reduction in soft drink consumping the chairmanship, the C.R.A. pub- since then to 141.8 lbs in 2003.
tion of significant proportion. Whereas
lishes its annual report - the Corn AnIt is valuable to note that the per increases from 2001 to 2002 could be
nual. This report generally focuses on a capita data represent deliveries and attributed to the initial recession recovtheme of importance to the industry as not actual human consumption, which ery period, the year 2003 continued the
well as chronicling a series of statisti- is lower because of uneaten food, recovery in the broader economy but
cal reports on the past year's members spoilage and other losses. For example, not in HFCS usage.
shipments, exports,
The good news
corn usage, etc.
for the industry,
Shipments of product of the
This year's theme
however, is also
corn refining industry
is "Corn - Part of a
found in these
(in million lbs)
Healthy Diet." The
same numbers. The
Per cent
Per cent
Per cent
purpose of many
first is the strong
2003
change
2002
change
2001
change
of the pieces in the
growth in starch of
Starch products
6,160
2.8%
5,991
1.6%
5,898
-4.3%
report is to address
2.8% from 2002 to
Refinery products
32,887
-0.6% 33,074
1.0% 32,743
-0.4%
the challenges made
2003. This category
HFCS - 42
10,185
-0.2% 10,203
4.3%
9,785
-3.9%
during recent years
includes both inHFCS - 55
13,582
-3.1% 14,016
0% 14,012
3.2%
to the use of corndustrial and food
Total HFCS
23,767
-1.9% 24,219
1.8% 23,797
0.1%
derived sweeteners,
starch. The latter,
Total domestic basic products
39,047
0% 39,066
1.1% 38,641
-1.0%
especially
HFCS,
which is used, acTotal shipments
55,898
0.7% 55,514
-0.7% 55,882
0%
by various scientific
cording to Audrae
Source: Veris Consulting, L.L.C.
and pseudo-scienErickson in her
tific groups. A large
forward "as visportion of this concern flows out of the 60.9 lbs per capita annual HFCS cosity agents, mouthfeel agents, high
the worrisome increase in obesity in consumption in 2003 after losses from performance thickeners, dietary fiber,
the United States, particularly among the retail/institutional level of 11% and fat mimetics and a number of other
the loss at the consumer level (uneaten applications that benefit various food
children.
As pundits look for a scapegoat and food, spoilage, etc.) of 20% the U.S.D.A. systems."
the plaintiff's bar looks for another tar- estimates that actual consumption is
The second, buried in the numbers,
get of opportunity, intuitively, sweet- 43.4 lbs per capita per year.
is the 3% growth from 2002-2003 in
ened foods present a handy bulls-eye.
other refinery products, which inStudies examine weight gain
cludes glucose syrup, dextrose, corn
Data highlight stark reality
Other articles by a variety of experts, syrup solids and maltodextrins. These
Two series of data highlight the stark including Maureen Storey, Ph.D. of the functional ingredients along with polyreality faced by the industry and its cus- Center for Food and Nutrition Policy, ols, citric acid, lactic acid and amino
tomers when focusing solely on HFCS.
point to a number of factors impacting acids continue to provide growth opThe first is in an article by Dr. John the perceived national weight gain. portunities, as well as "healthy" food
S. White, Ph.D., which compares and Among the problems are those darn and feed products for their respective
contrasts sucrose and HFCS coming baby boomers again.
industry users. MBN
to the conclusion that "HFCS and suThis post-war population bulge
crose are virtually indistinguishable not satisfied with bankrupting social
in significant ways, most importantly security and sucking up medical serin fructose/glucose composition and vices are gaining weight as they age
metabolism. Given the long history of - common for middle-aged people
Peter A. Meyer is
sucrose in the human diet, it is reason- - thereby skewing the statistics for
president of PMI
able to expect that if fructose containing weight. Sedentary lifestyles, particuConsultants, a
sugars such as sucrose and HFCS were larly among the young, are another
Chicago-based conthe cause of obesity and other disease culprit. High-speed thumb use on
sultant to the food
states, this would have become appar- video games and cell phones apparand agribusiness
ent and been substantiated years ago."
ently doesn't burn enough calories. So
industry.
Using numbers provided by the all the contributors encourage modera38 / Milling & Baking News, February 22, 2005

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Milling & Baking News - February 22, 2005

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