If Nature Drank Soda...

In yet another round of food industry semantics, PepsiCo has reformulated their lemon-lime soda Sierra Mist as Sierra Mist Natural.  In response to market research claiming consumers are more likely to buy "natural" foods and beverages, PepsiCo has changed the Sierra Mist formula, eliminating high fructose corn syrup as well as chemical preservatives, reducing the beverage to "five simple ingredients and nothing artificial".  In fact, their new ad campaign (into which PepsiCo has put an undisclosed dollar amount equivalent to a "full year's worth of media investment"...which, lets face it, is probably a TON of money) features "nature" discussing its cravings for the drink, followed by the tag line, "The soda nature would drink if nature drank soda". 

Blatant anthropomorphism aside, this seems the most recent example of big food business playing off consumers' assumption that "natural" equates with "healthful".  In fact, eight fluid ounces of Sierra Mist Natural contains 25 grams of "real" sugar (the original Sierra Mist had 26 grams of high fructose corn syrup) which equates to over 75% of the USDA's allowance for discretionary calories from added sugars (assuming a 2,000 calorie per day diet).  What is "real" sugar? Most likely a blend between cane and beet sugar, although the "real" just supplies consumers with another syntactical stumbling block (or mental comfort--"real" standing as a value judgment for "good").

Speaking of fun food industry word games, the Corn Refiners Association is petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to change the name of high fructose corn syrup to something that the American public doesn't equate with "unhealthful evil,"  namely the much more benign "corn sugar".  Essentially, the corn industry is worried that we consumers have realized that the huge amounts of added sugar they put in everything aren't necessarily good for us; they think if they can use some fancy footwork they will effectively pull the wool back over our eyes by disguising added sugars under the much nicer name of corn sugar (corn, after all, is natural).  The scary thing is, they are probably right.