From Lab To Field, And On Your Knees

We don't write about food safety, security, policy, or the environment too often, the last time we wrote seriously about it was a piece on High Fructose Corn Syrup (Fundamentally Unsafe: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) http://just-call-me-frank.blogspot.com/2010/05/fundamentally-unsafe-high-fructose-corn.html) that I had imported from an older blog two years ago, way back before...well, a load of life changing stuff...

Despite food safety and security being the major factor in our most recent purchase (still need to put the ink on the paper though!) of a 40 acre homestead-farm where we plan to grow as much of our own food as we can, both plant and animal; there's just usually so much other stuff to write about, other stuff that inspires us on days when it's not our pain, or mental health, to be able to write about just one topic.

It's stories like Plowing Away The Prairie, At A Price that make us sad, upset, fearful for the future of the America, and the people who live in it; but it's not just those feelings, it's stories like Plowing Away The Praire that raise questions, draw intersecting lines, create a furrowed brow, and inspire today's blog entry. Questions like how do we feel about the federal government subsidizing crop insurance to farmers so they can be encouraged to grow GMO corn and/or soybeans in an environment that is not suited for in the first place, and making big payouts, like they will have to this year in the face of the horrible drought, and who is behind it; and with so much talk about government hand-ups and hand-outs, who gets to decide between the people who "deserve it" and the people who don't.

If you're not familiar with GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) [Seed] you probably should be. Genetically modified organisms are laboratory engineered seeds and plants (so far the FDA has not approved animal GMOs) created by splicing genes from other organism to "improve" things like shelf-life and pest-resistance. In the United States over 85% of the corn and 91% of the soybeans (1) grown are from GMO seed, with ownership of the seed by one giant corporation called Monsanto, who owns the patents to it, and that so far in 2012 has contributed 71% of it's companies election funding to the Republicans (29% to Democrats).(1)

"These days Faulstich is telling his story in Washington, D.C. This year or next, Congress is expected to take up a new farm bill that could determine the fate of his way of life and, perhaps, the Midwestern prairie." 

"If we need more corn and it's a level playing field, that's the way it is," he said. "But if there are incentives to make this happen - that's a disaster in the making [says Faulstich]" Plowing Away The Prairie, At A Price

It's hard to say what Washington would do with a farm bill, it's hard to say if the average American even cares, or understands the under-working of the government in the first place. It all depends on who dominates the House and Senate, but you can bet that big campaign funding by the likes of Monsanto can grease some very greedy palms (2).

Reading Plowing Away The Prairie paints with words an accurate and unfortunate picture of the environmental effects of tearing up the prairie for profit; and makes it obvious there are those less concerned about the future of the earth, and the devastating toll already visible and measurable, that are created by ripping it up and plowing it all under, in lei of profit.

"The 10,000-year-old native prairie that once stretched from Saskatchewan to the Gulf of Mexico has become one of the most threatened ecosystems on Earth -- more so even than the world's tropical rain forests, ecologists say. In Minnesota and elsewhere, only about 1 percent of the original prairie now lies untouched, and every year across the Great Plains millions more acres of grasslands are turned into corn, soybeans and other crops." Plowing Away The Prairie, At A Price

But it's not just about the environment, or the greasing of the wheel to make the rats run on it until we all die of cancer (3), it's also about another big company owning our government and livelihoods. We're not even mentioning the health issues surrounding GMO foods, foods which have been on the market since 1994, when the "The Fish Tomato" FLAVR SAVR [CGN-89564-2](4) tomato made it's debut, whose plant genetics were "modified by incorporating a synthetic antifreeze gene modeled from one isolated from the winter flounder, Pseudopluronectus americanus".(5)

No, the first issue is the danger of a single company owning the rights to massive amounts of seed, and the potential for them to own it all one day by pushing natural "heirloom", or heritage, varieties out of the market with force, which they have already started doing; you need only look at how much GMO seed is used in agricultural crops. If a single company owns all the corn and soybeans they can literally have the people at their knees, which is what they have already done in poor countries around the world. Take India, for example, where a GMO-related suicide epidemic has been perpetuated over the last 16 years.(6)

The claims that Monsanto makes about the yield of their seed, which is one of the more desirable reasons for signing on with their product, is likely debatable, and depends on environmental factors, like the right kind of weather, just for a start. It's also debatable how good the Roundup Ready® weed and insect-resistant seed actually works in relation to pests, specifically when it has created an evolution of newer stronger pests that are resistant...to the resistance. Roundup®, an herbicide used on crops dates back as far as 1974, and hasn't done enough to keep the insects and other pests from evolving. They just keep mutating and getting stronger.

Used over years herbicides and pesticide create, and have created, bigger and stronger pests as insects and bugs adapt themselves through natural modification, the way nature intended - but at a rate much higher because "nature" now demands it(7). Survival of the fittest insect. Take the development of the Superworm in the corn belt of the Midwest of The United States(8) for example, which means Monsanto will now have to create, and sell to the Roundup Ready® seed buyer (because they are not allowed to use anything else), newer stronger chemicals for defence of your crops. It hardly seems worth it.

To break it down and illustrate the problem/issue even further; using a GMO patented seed is like buying a modified seedless watermelon. You can eat the watermelon, like you harvest a crop. But without seeds you can't reproduce the watermelon.
Or lets put it a different way.
You want a baby (A Corn Plant). A cute cuddly squirmy thing to raise and make your minion, but you are infertile (No Seeds). So every time you want to make a baby, you have to outsource to an adoption company (Monsanto); and each baby you adopt is also sterile (No Seeds) - so they will also have to adopt (from Monsanto) to have babies of their own (More Corn Plants). And the cycle continues.
It might be a rudimentary example. Either way, you are the slave to provider, and you have no freedom of your own, and it's not how nature intended it.

Image Source

When it comes to corn and soybean seed, not to mention all the other countless crops they are now owning, like alfalfa, canola, cotton, sorgum, soybeans, sugar beets and wheat(9), with the future crops of rice, papaya, eggplant, squash, peppers, potatoes and wheat set to be commercialized in the next few years(10); and oh, yeah, they bought Seminis this year, the world's largest developer, grower and marketer of vegetable seeds, which has been met with outrage...and very little media coverage.(11)

Back to the crime scene then.

When buy from Monsanto you sign away your rights to reproduce your food and the food for everybody else, forcing you to buy seeds from them every year; if your plants get sick, you can only buy medicine from them; If they inspect your field and find you are in breech of the agreement they can file a lawsuit against you, and they can even file expensive lawsuits(12), like in the case of Monsanto Canada Inc v Schmeiser(13) if even the seed is blown on your property from neighbouring fields, because they want their cut.

Plowing Away The Prairie, At A Price, was really good a read overall, simple, yet absolutely inspiring some might say...if you're an American who cares about food prices, food security, health, safety, freedom. If you are concerned about a beautiful country whose fruited plains are going to be government subsidized GMO corn and soy beans, and pavement...do something. Even if means writing about it and helping people find out about it.

"History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people."
~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

The point is, people aren't given the freedom of choice with their food; money and greed are destorying this country, and the 47% aren't the victims, we are all the victims. And it's killing us, it's killing the planet, it's another thing killing the hope. But by speaking up, you can help make changes, you can take responsibility for your life and environment...because, like one the authors from one of our favourite books says...

“That is the paradox of the epidemic: that in order to create one contagious movement, you often have to create many small movements first.”
~ Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

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Sources and Citation:

Plowing Away The Prairie, At A Price, Josephine Marcotty, Star Tribune, September 23, 2012 http://www.startribune.com/local/170850241.html?page=1&c=y&refer=y

Genetically Engineered Crops, The Center For Food Safety, 2012 http://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/campaign/genetically-engineered-food/crops/

(1) Influence of Lobbying PAC data for Monsanto Company Summary, OpenSecrets.org Center for Responsive Politics, September 2012, http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00042069

(2) Congress OKs GMOs, Monsanto Makes Sure You Can Grow Them at Home, Krista Simmons, liast.com, June 22, 2012 http://laist.com/2012/06/22/congress_says_gmos_are_ok_allows_fo.php

(3)  Is Monsanto Evil? TYT Networks, September 22, 2012, Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7DqaJ3QgHU&feature=share



(4) The Case of the FLAVR SAVR Tomato, G. Bruening, J.M. Lyons, California Agriculture 54(4):6-7. DOI: 10.3733/ca.v054n04p6. July-August 2000 http://ucanr.org/repository/CAO/landingpage.cfm?article=ca.v054n04p6&fulltext=yes

(5) Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact, James W Glosse, Information Systems For Biotechnology, 1991, PDF http://www.isb.vt.edu/documents/ea/9107901r.ea.pdf

(6) 'Bitter Seeds' Documentary Reveals Tragic Toll of GMOs in India, Claire Thompson, International Union of Conservation of Nature, August 16, 2012 http://www.iucn.org/about/union/commissions/ceesp/?10708/Bitter-Seeds-documentary-reveals-tragic-toll-of-GMOs-in-India

(7) Approval of New Chemical-Resistant GMOs Likely to Prompt Pesticide Escalation, Jill Richardson, Center for Media and Democracy, August 28, 2012 http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/08/11727/approval-new-chemical-resistant-gmos-likely-prompt-pesticide-escalation

(8) How Genetically Modified Corn Is Creating Super Worms, Aviva Shen, September 5, 2012 http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/09/05/796781/genetically-modified-corn-gives-rise-to-superworms-as-agribusiness-lobbies-against-gmo-labeling/

(9) Agricultural Seed Products, Monsanto, 2012 http://www.monsanto.com/products/Pages/monsanto-agricultural-seeds.aspx

(10) GM Food Production Increasing, Rich Keller, AG Professional, September 12, 2012 http://www.agprofessional.com/agprofessional-magazine/GM-food-production-increasing-169514076.html?ref=076

(11) Occupy Monsanto Stops GMO Seed Distribution, Occupy Monsanto, The Sacramento Bee, September 12, 2012 http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/12/4814249/occupy-monsanto-stops-gmo-seed.html

(12) Small Farmers Fight Becomes Anti-Biotech Crusade, Paul Elias, Associated Press/USAToday, January 19, 2004 http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techpolicy/2004-01-19-schmeiser_x.htm

(13) Monsanto Canada Inc v Schmeiser, Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto_Canada_Inc._v._Schmeiser and Canadian Federal Court http://decisions.fct-cf.gc.ca/en/2001/2001fct256/2001fct256.html

Cooking With Frank: A BBQ Dinner

That's right, food.

Ya'll know we have a culinary education, so we're been known to cook now and again, and post about it.

Inspired and excited by talking with James about owning a farm, and raising animals, and growing a garden, and making food stuff and products with the harvest, both animal and plant, we excitedly (excitedly? Sure...why not) made dinner, which we had started yesterday.

We made a BBQ sauce and marinated some rib steaks yesterday. We`d have a precise recipe if we were any good at writing down, or measuring, what we throw together. The important thing to remember about cooking is it`s mostly to taste. Meaning maybe you want a stronger flavour than the recipe calls for, or a thinner sauce, or sweeter, etc. When it comes to reading a recipe (for cooking, baking is a completely  different situation, baking is practically a science) the measurements aren't that important, tasting, and texture, is. So we`re giving you our recipe, but we`re not giving you measurements, because we don`t have any. Fun. Right?

Well, we have some rough measurements...you can play around with it as much, or as little, as you like.


~ Frankie's BBQ Sauce:

• Canned Tomatoes (1 can 15oz-ish can) <-hey, a measurement!
• Apple sauce (about 20 oz)
• Vinegar (about 1/4 cup)
• Brown sugar (a small fist full)
• Worcestershire (about 1 tbsp, or to taste)
• Garlic (2 cloves, smashed)
• Smoked Paprika

So, you just mix all those things. You can blend it till smooth if you want, or keep it chunky - whatever you like. Throw in a few ribs, or rib steaks, and marinate for about 8 hours, or longer.

Treat like you would any other BBQ sauce, shake off the excess and throw the meat on the grill, baste as desired while the meat cooks.

All that extra leftover sauce? Reduce it and use it for other things, make sure to boil it hard to kill any pesky meat germs, or toss it out if you like to be wasteful. We boiled ours down and put it in the fridge for another day.

With dinner we also had grilled corn, vinegar coleslaw, and potato salad.

~ Grilled corn? If you have never done it try this:

Don't shuck (meaning don't take the outside [husks] off) the corn on the cob, wrap it all in tin foil and throw on a hot grill for at least 20 minutes. Remove tin foil and husk the corn. Enjoy! So juicy and retains all the flavour. We dare say all you need is a little salt...maybe. It's not normal for us to not recommend butter, but if you're watching your weight...just sayin'...

We made mayo from scratch too, because we happened to be out of it, and Miracle Whip (which The Mother has in the fridge) is just crap.

Home-made mayo is easy peasy (oh Lord, we're channelling Rachael Ray)

~ Our Whole Egg Mayo on the fly: (why whole eggs? We don't want to waste the whites, which are pretty fat free anyway, and didn't feel like making meringues, so it won't hurt to keep 'em in there)

Whisk together:
3 whole eggs

3 Tbsp white vinegar

Splash of Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp salt

Add in, by DRIZZLING oil slowly and whisking:

1 cups olive oil

2 cups vegetable oil

What you are doing here is called emulsifying. If you add too much oil too fast it will split - meaning the oil will separate from the rest of it, it will make an oil slick, and then you'll have to toss it out.

We opted for trying to use our Kitchen Aid mixer with the whisk attachment, and judging from our past with emulsified foods (such as hollandaise sauce), we would have gotten better results using a little elbow grease and pulling out the hand whisk.

Make sure you taste it, sometimes you can end up tasting the oil too much. It's important to use fresh oil. Oil stored for too long after being open can go rancid, and that is not a nice taste.

NOTICE: This makes about 1 QT of mayo...so, maybe do a version with 1 egg, because what the fuck are we going to do with all that mayo now?!

So here was dinner....

The dressing on the Slaw, which consisted of red cabbage, green cabbage and carrots, was simply vinegar, honey, salt and pepper, to taste - we mixed it last night and stirred it occasionally for 24 hours. It was a nice accompaniment with the heavier foods, cut the fat, so to speak.

So there you have it. We hope to work on some more food entries, but we have lots of other things to do too. Still have to get to the canvas and finish some paintings before we start another, and it looks like this week we're going to look at a big plot of land in the country, about 4 hours from where we currently are. Should be fun.

~Ivy et al

Looking for other food stuff on this blog?

Food & Cooking
2012

• White Bread, For The Zombie Apocolypse
• Romancing The Sandwich 

2011

• Cooking With Frank
• Cooking Shepherds Pie With Us, Drunk
• Cooking With Frank, Ratatouille 
• Cooking With Frank: Zombies & Brains...Oh My
• Cooking With Frank: Venison Tenderloin
• The Enlightenment of an Englishmen: Part 1

Fundamentally Unsafe: High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS), Health Risks and Personal Responsibility

There's been some debate about HFCS. So I decided to get acquainted with both sides of the debate.

After reading through several articles today that stated HFCS is safe and nutritionally equal to sugar, and comparing those sources with countless sources stating otherwise, I became angry; there are so many reasons to be angry about the high fructose corn syrup debate. While the side who claim it's safe does have some, albeit flimsy, sources to back themselves up; the opposing anti-HFCS side is stacked to the gills with proof.

One thing I noticed was that all the “HFCS is Safe” articles neglected to mention the fact that, while NUTRITIONALLY equal (I'm not going to dispute the nutritional facts), there are other issues when it comes to HFCS that are dangerous.

HFCS is fundamentally not safe. It has been linked to such things as liver scarring, obesity and type 2 diabetes. It has also been found to contain mercury and other harmful substances that only some real research can uncover.

It's my opinion that the public doesn't understand the difference between "nutritionally safe" and "fundamentally safe". HFCS is fundamentally UNSAFE.

In order for people to be able to make responsible decisions about their diet and nutrition they must be armed with as much truth as they can. I understand that all scientific research can be bias. Most research is skewed to show results congruent with the wishes of the organization financially backing them. However, when it comes to health I am advocate for erring on the side caution. 

Heavy Use of High Fructose Corn Syrup 

Nearly all junk food in the United States contains HFCS and people regularly ingest high amounts of it. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Statistics, the average American eats an amazing 41.5 lbs of high fructose corn syrup per year. About 20 teaspoons of sugar a day, mostly from “hidden sugars”.

One can of soda equals about 10 ½ teaspoons of sugar, roughly an entire days worth of calories from added sugar, according to the USDA. ¹

Between 1985 and 1999, U.S. consumption of sugars added to food items increased by 23 percent. ² Considering the most popular (and cheapest) sugar added to processed foods then, and now, is high fructose corn syrup, it is not hard to understand how a society that sustains itself on so much junk food could be ingesting so much.

Corn is a heavily government subsidized crop in the United States, which makes it's production very cheap and in turn makes products created from it even cheaper. Cheaper ingredients in the production of junk food means cheaper junk food and higher profits (more people will buy it if it's cheap) for companies who don't really care about the health and welfare of the public, when they can lining their pockets with hefty profits. But that's just common sense.

Americans’ refined (white) sugar consumption has dropped over the past 20 years, according to studies. However, according to USDA figures, our consumption of high-fructose corn syrup has increased 250 percent over the past 15 years. ³ 

What Is High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS)

First of all, what it isn't. HFCS is NOT a natural source of sugar. It is a sugar created by the chemical alteration of cornstarch which turns it into syrup. ⁴

Chemically it is known as isoglucose5 ^, street name(s) include maize syrup, glucose-fructose syrup in the UK, high fructose corn syrup in the U.S. and glucose/fructose⁶ in Canada

HFCS was created in the 1970's created by adding alpha-amylase, an enzyme derived from a bacteria, to cornstarch, which breaks it down. Once broken down, a second enzyme called glucoamylase (a derivative a fungus known as Aspergullis) is added. As it continues to ferment nearly pure glucose slurry is created.

During the third step, the glucose slurry is poured over columns containing an enzyme called glucose-isomerase. The result of this is a creation of a combination of fructose and glucose. Next liquid chromatography “distills” the syrup into 90% fructose, which is then blended back into the original mix to create the final product: a 55%/45% fructose/glucose product called high fructose corn syrup. ⁷

Most consumer research, on finding out the process of making HFCS, neglects to mention that the material used in the process of separating the corn starch from the kernel, call caustic soda, is produced in industrial chlorine manufacturing plants using mercury cells, which contaminate caustic soda and HFCS with mercury.⁸ A little known fact that is not available to consumers, and in some cases the companies who purchase HFCS for production of food.

The Fundamentally Unsafe Links to Consumption of HFCS

So, as previously mentioned recent studies link HFCS with mercury contamination⁸. Mercury is a brain toxin with no known “safe” level of exposure. Exposure in babies can prevent normal development, impaired learning and decrease in IQ. Exposure by children can cause physical and well as mental ailments¹² ;and yet for decades an increasingly common ingredient in processed foods, HFCS, has been made using mercury-grade caustic soda.⁷ The most common products containing “mercury-grade” HFCS includes dairy products, dressings and condiments. However, in 2007, then-Senator Barack Obama introduced legislation to force the remaining chlor-alkali plants to phase out mercury cell technology by 2012. ⁸

So, by 2012 HFCS should be 100% mercury free. That's good news, right?

Meet hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) a substance created when HFCS is heated. Recent studies have linked HMF, to DNA damage in humans. In addition, HMF breaks down in the body to other substances potentially more harmful than HMF.¹³ While research will reveal results regarding HMF, I won't hold my breath for good news.

Next on the list is carbonyls, which are “highly reactive compounds associated with “unbound” fructose and glucose molecules that are believed to cause tissue damage”⁹, in people with diabetes the level of reactive carbonyls are elevated, according to U.S. Researchers at the 2007 American Chemical Society Conference. They found that drinks made with HFCS contained “astonishingly high levels on this compound, a trait not shared by table sugar, “whose fructose and glucose components are “bound” and chemically stable” ⁹

In addition further studies have linked appetite levels with HFCS consumption, making claims that appetite decreased less after drinking beverages that contain HFCS, which causes triglycerides to increase. An increase in triglycerides is a risk indicator for cardiovascular disease.”⁹

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) has been linked with multiple health relates issues, including the growth of diabetes in children⁹ and obesity in North America. The link between the rise of obesity and the introduction of HFCS into processed foods shows a direct correlation.¹⁰ and critics claim it's chemical composition, which differs from sucrose, has critical effects on the human body.⁹

While there is a study claiming it's safeness for every study linking HFCS to health related issues, a recent study by Princeton University has been met with much controversy, but is worth some consideration.

A 6 month study on lab rats, by Princeton University, on the long-term effects of high-fructose corn syrup consumption, yielded results that indicated high risk health characteristic that are signs of not just metabolic syndrome, but also high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, cancer and diabetes. Rats with access to HFCS gained 48 percent more weight than those on a regular diet. The study monitored weight gain, body fat and triglyceride levels and revealed “abnormal weight gain, significant increases in circulating triglycerides and augmented fat deposition, especially visceral fat around the belly.”

This study has promoted additional studies such as the consumption of HFCS in conjunction with a high-fat diet and more in-depth studies on the association between excessive HFCS consumption and the diseases associated with obesity.¹¹
In release in March 2010 regarding a type liver disease called 'non-alcoholic fatty liver disease' , according to the American Chemical Society, was associated with high intakes of HFCS, which causes permanent liver damage.⁹

Genetically Modified Organisms:

While the debate is still out (for the majority) on the safety of Genetically Modified Organisms, one cannot end without mentioning that the majority of HFCS is made from GMO corn. I have my own beliefs, standards and issues regarding GMO's: “Does this tomato smell fishy to you? Why I am not supportive of my tomato being “armed” with fish genes!” (TBA)

F or a great article on how to avoid GMO's visit: http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-Genetically-Modified-Foods.

With all the evidence pointed towards the consumption of high fructose being unsafe, one can't help but think that all these doctors and nutritionists backing HFCS "safety" are in someones pocket...
*cough* The Corn Refiners Association *cough*...

It's all about personal responsibility and moderation. Each person gets to choose how they approach their health and diets. While High Fructose Corn Syrup may be one of the many culprits in the obesity epidemic in the United States. The real culprit of Americas expanding waistlines and increasingly poor health can really be summed up in one word: Gluttony.

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Steps to Avoid HFCS

1. Get in the habit of reading food labels.
2. Avoid foods that contain high fructose corn syrup or HFCS.
3. Drink less soda. Choose fresh fruit rather than fruit juice or fruit-flavored drinks.
4. Choose 100% juice over "all natural flavors" but don't forget that even juice contains large amounts of sugar, with no advantage of fiber; avoid “fruit drinks”.
5. Choose canned fruits in own their own juice, instead of heavy syrup.
6. Limit or avoid processed foods.

To stay updated on issues related to HFCS, join the Facebook Group

'The Ban of High Fructose Corn Syrup in the U.S.'

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/THE-BAN-OF-HIGH-FRUCTOSE-CORN-SYRUP-IN-THE-US/124366064752?v=info
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Citations/Sources: 


1. -----. “Profiling Food Consumption in America“ Agriculture Fact Book. 2000-2001
<http://www.usda.gov/factbook/chapter2.pdf>

2. Haley, Stephen. Reed, Jane. Lin,Biing-Hwan. Cook, Annetta. “ Sweetener Consumption in the United States: Distribution by Demographic and Product Characteristics” .USDA Economic Research Service. 19 April 2005

3 Lempert, Phil. “ Florida legislators want to ban the sweetener in schools. 'Today' food editor Phil Lempert examines whether the sugary substance is unhealthy”. MSNBC. 30 March 2006

4 Warner, Melanie. “ For Corn Syrup, the Sweet Talk Gets Harder”. New York Times 30 April 2010
5. ------. Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oxford University Press, 2006 (page 311)

6. -----. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada ?>

7. -----. “ What is High Fructose Corn Syrup?”. Wise Geek: Clear Answers for Common Questions

8. Wallinga, David M.D., Soren, Janelle Sen. Mottl, Pooja. Yablon, Brian M.D “Not So Sweet: Missing Mercury and High Fructose Corn Syrup” Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. 2009 January.
<http://www.healthobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=105026> or < http://www.iatp.org/iatp/press.cfm?refID=105025>

9. -----. “ High fructose corn syrup: just another sugar?” CBC News. 22 April 2010

10. Drum, Kevin. “Sugar, Sugar”. Mother Jones. 12 May 2009 (*****)

11. Parker, Hilary. “A sweet problem: Princeton researchers find that high-fructose corn syrup prompts considerably more weight gain”. Princeton University. 22 March 2010 <http://www.princeton.edu/main/news/archive/S26/91/22K07/>

12. 12.-----. “Mercury Poisining”. Medline Net. 23 March 2010 http://www.medicinenet.com/mercury_poisoning/page2.htm#effects

13. LeBlanc et al. “Formation of Hydroxymethylfurfural in Domestic High-Fructose Corn Syrup and Its Toxicity to the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)”. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2009; 57 (16): 7369 DOI:10.1021/jf9014526

------------------------------------- Articles of Interest:
List Of Food Additives: Their Role In Healthy Eating http://www.mom-going-organic-sensibly.com/list-of-food-additives.html

How to Avoid HFCS http://www.wikihow.com/Avoid-High-Fructose-Corn-Syrup#_note-1

High Fructose Corn Syrup Linked to Liver Scarring http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100322204628.htm