The HFCS debate revamped through social media

Last year, Raleigh, North Carolina-based university library worker Ivan Royste learned that those in the corn industry were calling high-fructose corn syrup 'corn sugar' by those in the corn industry. Having seen the effects of type-2 diabetes first hand, especially in children, Royste was shocked to learn this harmful sweetener had snuck into so much of our food—even in baby food.

Royste took action through social social media, and today, his Facebook group "Ban HFCS" contains more than 200,000 followers. Additionally, Royste's blog Ban of HFCS provideds insights from health professionals and food industry leaders.

"Over the last year I’ve been talking with people and professionals from all over the world, and then a couple of weeks ago a light bulb went on: I can share this information with everybody else," Royste explained in an interview with Organic Connections. "So last week I wrote out my first interview with Dr. Andrew Siegel from New Jersey concerning what he thinks about high-fructose corn syrup, and posted it on my blog as a way to put more information out there to get everybody’s voice heard on the issue."

Read more in Organic Connections.