Applied Trust Bids Adieu to High-Fructose Corn Syrup-Sweetened Drinks

Over the course of 2009 we’ve embarked on a number of employee-initiated projects to help make Applied Trust a place where we really want to work long term. Dan’s recent blog post about our new and improved third-floor deck is one example. Another of these projects involved introducing healthier beverage options for our employees, clients, and other guests at our office. The primary focus of this initiative was to replace beverages sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) – predominantly sodas – with those that are not.

For anyone who’s not familiar with it, HFCS is any of a group of corn syrups that has undergone processing to convert its glucose into fructose and has then been mixed with pure corn syrup (100% glucose) to produce a desired sweetness. It became a popular substitute for sugar in the 70s and 80s, as high sugar import tariffs were imposed and government subsidies paid to growers kept the price of corn low. It is used in almost all processed foods, and it is the number one source of calories in the United States.

HFCS is also a highly controversial topic in the food and health arenas these days. It’s excoriated by many as the primary driver behind our nation’s obesity epidemic at the same time it’s touted as “natural” and “equal in sweetness and calories to regular sugar” and “fine in moderation” by others (namely the Corn Refiners Association).

Although we recognize that any beverage packing 30+ grams of sugar is dubiously deserving of the descriptor “healthy” regardless of how it’s sweetened, there are some known, unpleasant facts about HFCS that would seem to make avoiding it a worthwhile effort:

• It is not handled by our bodies the same way cane and beet sugar are handled.
  • It is metabolized to fat in our bodies far more rapidly than any other sugar (going straight to the liver) and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form (soda), its negative metabolic impact is significantly magnified.
  • It does not allow the release of the hormone (leptin) that tells our brains we are full.
  • Fructose contains no enzymes, vitamins or minerals, and it leeches micronutrients from our bodies. Unbound fructose, which is found in large quantities in HFCS, can interfere with our hearts’ use of minerals such as magnesium, copper, and chromium.
• It often contains mercury (as a result of processing). In adults, mercury poisoning has been linked to fertility problems, memory and vision loss, and trouble with blood pressure regulation. It can also cause extreme fatigue and neuro-muscular dysfunction.
• It has been linked to obesity and obesity-related and other diseases, such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, an increase in triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels, and liver disease.

We decided that we could do better for our employees, clients, and other guests by offering them alternatives to drinks sweetened with HFCS, so we set out to find some worthy replacements. In some cases this was pretty simple: Coke and Pepsi both offer versions sweetened with cane sugar.  Pepsi Throwback was introduced in April of this year and is made the way Pepsi was made before HFCS hit the scene (hence ‘throwback’). The cane-sugar Coke, imported from Mexico and easier than ever to find stateside thanks to its cult status, even comes in the tall, green-glass bottles of yore – it’s my personal favorite.

There are also natural soda companies, such as Blue Sky/Hansen’s, that sell soda without HFCS and also without preservatives or artificial colors or flavors. We’re experimenting with a number of these to see which flavors we like best.

We’ve also swapped out a popular, HFCS-laden brand of iced tea that shall remain nameless with HFCS-free iced teas such as Honest Tea and Sweet Tea. These are a lot lower in sugar than soda and can almost actually be considered healthy.

We’re also trying out some other lower-sugar options such as flavored sparkling water, and some vitamin-rich vegetable/fruit juice blends. These are all in addition to the drinks that we were already offering that do not contain HFCS, including natural energy drinks, diet sodas, milk, coffee, hot tea, and, of course, the healthiest option of all: water!

We’re excited to be able to offer better beverage choices for our staff and our visitors, and so far the switch has been met with a lot of positive feedback. Next time you’re looking to slake your thirst in downtown Boulder, stop in for an HFCS-free beverage with your favorite Applied Trust engineer!