History of High Fructose Corn Syrup Business

In United States HFCS became an important player in the sweetener market among sugar substitutes. Production of HFCS has increased from 51,000 mt in 1970 to nearly 8.7 million mt in 2001.

HFCS was first introduced to the beverages industry in the early 1970s. Improvements in quality encouraged parent soft drink companies to allow HFCS to replace sucrose as the primary nutritive sweetener.

Within ten years HFCS would completely upset the US sugar market, and in turn, the international sugar markets as well.

An estimates the total market loss of US cane sugar refiners between 1977 and 1987 at 5,000,000 mt.

HFCS is a cheaper and attractive alternative, especially for products of soft drinks who are major users of sweeteners.

Besides its low price tag, high fructose corn syrup also has other advantages for suppliers. Its easy to transport. It helps keep foods from drying out. It isn’t as vulnerable to freezer burn as sugar.

Beverages sweetened with HFCS account for 80% of added sugar in the US diet and account for 80% of the recent increases in calorific intake of the global diet.
History of High Fructose Corn Syrup Business