A side of mercury with your fries?

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Surprise, surprise, those corn refiner’s association ad extolling the harmlessness of high-fructose corn syrup? Well, it turns out they’re not exactly true. A report from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy tested 55 common products containing high-fructose corn syrup and found–guess what?–mercury in several of them.
Green LA girl posted a full list, and I was pretty stunned. Here’s the list:

  • Quaker Oatmeal to Go
  • Jack Daniel’s Barbeque Sauce
  • Hershey’s Chocolate Syrup
  • Kraft Original Barbeque Sauce
  • Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
  • Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe
  • Market Pantry Grape Jelly
  • Smucker’s Strawberry Jelly
  • Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
  • Hunt’s Tomato Ketchup
  • Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth Dressing
  • Coca-Cola Classic
  • Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
  • Minute Maid Berry Punch
  • Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
  • Nesquik Chocolate Milk
  • Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk

Now, I admit to not using most of these, but I do use ketchup. And jelly. I’m pretty horrified at the idea of mercury being in those foods, since I (sadly) drastically reduced my tuna consumption to avoid mercury. I guess I’m going to have to work on making my own ketchup and jam, because I’m really beginning to distrust any product that I don’t make myself.

Tarot Card of the Day: The Devil

  • tari

    darn – and i like JD BBQ sauce :P

  • ShakespearesLady

    Aw crap. I eat number 1 on that list practically every morning! :(

  • http://rjjrdq.wordpress.com rjjrdq

    I wonder where those ingredients come from. China maybe?

    The good news is we shouldn’t be eating that crap anyway.

  • caroline

    I guess that explains why most of the people I know who eat a lot of processed foods seem slightly insane. I have to say, I don’t eat anything on this list, but I do eat a lot of tuna.

  • Mary

    Trader Joe’s has organic ketchup that is HFCS free! I can’t remember how expensive it is, but it tastes better (more ketchup-y!) and has GOT to be easier than making your own ketchup.

    As for jelly, I think strawberry freezer jam is delish, and it’s easier than actual canning, so you could try that.

    Thanks for this list…guess I have to stop eating Yoplait now. And Coke. :(

  • Kasey

    The issue isn’t with the HFCS. I mean, HFCS isn’t good for you, and we should all try to eat less of it, I guess (says the boy drinking a Mountain Dew and eating cookies), but the mercury isn’t inherent to HFCS. It’s because of the lack of oversight and import standards on foods manufactured outside the US; at the moment, the main problem is China, but that’s mostly because they don’t have their own product standards (unlike products made in Europe, Canada, or Japan, for example) so no one tests to make sure there’s not mercury (or lead, or whatever else) is in the products they’re selling.

  • Rabbit

    No! Not the Manwich!

  • http://sorcha-sidhe.blogspot.com xo.sorcha.ox

    So relieved I dont buy any of those products! :/
    ~S.

  • StephC

    Heinz makes an organic ketchup. Just sugar in it, not corn syrup.

  • tari

    darn – and i like JD BBQ sauce :P

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