Products with Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup, or HFCS, is a common replacement for sugar as a sweetener in many food and beverages such as salad dressings, soft drinks, deli meats, snack bars, breads, cereals, soups and yogurt, etc. Since the process of creating HFCS was fist introduced in 1927, HFCS has become one of the most common sweetners in mass produced brand food products and soft drinks.

Two recent studies reported by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade indicate the presence of mercury in products containing high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). The two new papers (including an article in Environmental Health) review the presence of mercury in high fructose corn syrup. The study from the IATP finds mercury in some very common foods and beverages. Below is a list of 55 brand name foods that the IATP has reviewed and determined to have high levels of mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup.

1. Quaker Oatmeal to Go
2. Jack Danielfs Barbecue Sauce (Heinz)
3. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup
4. Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce
5. Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars
6. Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe
7. Market Pantry Grape Jelly
8. Smuckers Strawberry Jelly
9. Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry
10. Hunt's Tomato Ketchup
11. Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth
12. Coca-Cola Classic
13. Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt
14. Minute Maid Berry Punch
15. Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink
16. Nesquik Chocolate Milk
17. Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk
18. Hy-Top Syrup
19. Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red
20. NOS High Performance EnergyDrink
21. A & W Root Beet
22. Dr. Pepper
23. Wyler's Italian Ices
24. Market Pantry Ice Pops
25. Kool‐Aid Bursts Tropical Punch
26. Kool‐Aid Cherry Jammers
27. Sunny‐D
28. Snapple Peach Iced Tea
29. Powerade Orange
30. Lipton Green Tea
31. Zoo Juice Orange
32. Tropicana Twister Cherry Berry Blast
33. Fanta Orange
34. Pepsi
35. 7‐Up
36. Hi‐C Wild Cherry
37. Jell‐O Strawberry
38. Market Pantry Applesauce
39. Mott's Applesauce
40. Campbell's Tomato Soup
41. Aunt Jemima Original Syrup
42. Hershey's Caramel Syrup
43. Hershey's Strawberry Syrup
44. Market Pantry Thousand Island
45. Smucker’s Strawberry Syrup
46. Heinz Hotdog Relish
47. Market Pantry Cranberry Sauce
48. Market Pantry Tomato Soup
49. Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce
50. Mrs. Butterworth Original Syrup
51. Heinz Tomato Ketchup
52. Wish‐Bone Thousand Island Dressing
53. Welch's Grape Jelly
54. Nesquik Strawberry Milk
55. Land O’ Lakes Chocolate Milk

• Plastics to Avoid 

According to the online journal, Environmental Health, mercury was found in 9 of the 20 "samples of commercial high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a common sweetener of foods and beverages. The HFCS came from three different manufacturers."

Though diet is not the only way we can be exposed to mercury, the most common threat is the mercury ingestion 'risk' that is typically associated with eating fish and seafood.  It is a potent brain toxin that we know accumulates in such foods.  Pregnant mothers are particularly discouraged from such a diet because mercury exposure to babies in the womb can lead to abnormal brain development and eventual impaired learning abilities and lower IQ.  

for more information on Mercury and health risks, visit The U.S. Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry.