High Fructose Corn Syrup Disguised as “Fructose”
Did you know that companies are now using HFCS-90 which contains up to 90 percent fructose, making it a bigger health risk than regular HFCS, and some products may list various forms of fructose in their ingredient lists? This sneaky tactic has fooled countless health-conscious consumers who think they’re avoiding the notorious sweetener.
The food industry knows exactly what they’re doing when they rename ingredients. High fructose corn syrup is trying to sneak back into our diets with subtle pseudonyms, so while we think we are cutting out this unnatural ingredient, we may actually be adding even more of it. Another way companies disguise HFCS is to label it “corn sugar”, though the FDA has ruled against this particular name change.
Natural Flavors Hiding MSG
Here’s something that’ll make your skin crawl – the term “natural flavor/s” is used by the food industry for glutamic acid, which is chemically similar to MSG lacking only the sodium ion, and the FDA does not require disclosure of components and amounts of “natural flavor/s”. This means MSG can be lurking in your organic, clean-eating products without you ever knowing it.
The deception runs deeper than you’d imagine. Food marketers have created over 57 sneaky terms to hide MSG under, and the FDA does not require manufacturers to label these foods MSG unless the “added ingredient” is 99% pure MSG, and if MSG is produced as a result of protein hydrolysis, the FDA does not require MSG to appear on the label. Even products claiming “No MSG” can legally contain glutamic acid from protein processing.
Sugar’s 61 Different Disguises
Think you’re smart enough to spot sugar on ingredient lists? Think again. There are at least 61 different names for sugar listed on food labels, including common names such as sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup, as well as barley malt, dextrose, maltose and rice syrup. This isn’t an accident – it’s a calculated strategy to keep you consuming more than you realize.
Americans consume an average of approximately 77-100 pounds of added sugar each year, and every day, the average American consumes almost three times more added sugar than is recommended. The scary part? While product labels list total sugar content, manufacturers are not required to say whether that total includes added sugar, making it difficult to know how much comes from added sugar versus naturally occurring sugars in ingredients.
Hydrolyzed Proteins – The Stealth Flavor Enhancers
Here’s where things get really sneaky. Glutamic acid and its salts may be present in a variety of other additives, including hydrolyzed vegetable protein, autolyzed yeast, hydrolyzed yeast, yeast extract, soy extracts, and protein isolate, which must be specifically labeled. These ingredients contain MSG naturally but companies don’t have to disclose this fact prominently.
The food industry has mastered the art of protein manipulation. Protein-hydrolysis-based glutamates or MSG are found in just about every highly processed food, and even vegetable proteins are hydrolyzed to make veggie burgers and many other frozen or pre-prepared vegan and “health foods”. So that expensive plant-based burger you thought was clean? It might be loaded with hidden flavor enhancers.
Caramel Color – The Cancer-Linked Dye
Don’t let the innocent name fool you. Walmart’s Great Value private brand sells numerous sauces, dips, and condiments containing artificial dyes, including caramel color, a dark-hued dye that CSPI recommends avoiding based on contamination with cancer-causing compounds. This isn’t your grandmother’s homemade caramel – it’s a chemically processed colorant with serious health concerns.
The most frustrating part is how ubiquitous this ingredient has become. These products include Walmart’s Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce containing Yellow 5 and caramel color, Salsa Con Queso Cheese Dip with Yellow 5 and Yellow 6, and Cocktail Sauce with Red 40 and Yellow 6. Even foods you wouldn’t expect to be artificially colored are swimming in these questionable additives.
Corn Sweetener vs. Corn Syrup
The corn industry has gotten creative with their naming conventions, and it’s costing your health. When reading labels, be on the lookout for other forms of added sugars, such as corn sweetener, dextrose, evaporated cane juice, fructose, fruit-juice concentrate, honey, maltose, malt syrup, maple syrup, sucrose, and syrup. Each name represents essentially the same metabolic burden on your body.
What makes this particularly insidious is how these sweeteners are often used in combination. Sometimes high fructose corn syrup is the first ingredient on the list, but other times there may be more than one type of sweetener listed. This allows manufacturers to spread their sugar load across multiple ingredients, making each individual sweetener appear lower on the ingredient list while the total sugar content remains dangerously high.
Protein Isolates – The Hidden MSG Factories
Protein powders and health foods aren’t as clean as you think. If a food includes any ingredient that contains naturally occurring MSG such as yeast extract, hydrolyzed yeast, or protein isolate, it cannot claim “no MSG” or “no added MSG” on its packaging. Yet many supposedly clean protein products continue to market themselves as MSG-free while containing these very ingredients.
The manufacturing process is where the trouble begins. Many processed foods including organic health foods contain processed proteins that harbor free glutamic acids, and MSG or free glutamic acid is found in many health foods as a result of vegetable protein breakdown or hydrolysis, existing in varying quantities as a result of protein breakdown. Your expensive superfood powder might be delivering a hefty dose of excitotoxins with every scoop.
Textured Vegetable Protein – The Fake Meat Trap
Vegetarians and vegans, you’re not safe from this deception either. Ingredients that contain MSG include textured protein, vegetable extract, yeast extract, and natural flavors, which manufacturers should disclose their sources to be safe. That plant-based chicken nugget you’re buying might contain more questionable ingredients than actual chicken.
The irony is crushing – people choose plant-based options for health reasons, only to consume heavily processed protein isolates and textured proteins that trigger the same neurological responses as MSG. The food industry has successfully convinced us that “plant-based” automatically equals “healthy,” when the processing methods often strip away nutrition while adding problematic additives.
Enzyme Modified Ingredients – The Processing Loophole
Here’s the final gut punch that even the smartest label readers miss: ingredients listed as hydrolyzed, protein fortified, ultra-pasteurized, fermented, or enzyme modified are red flags for hidden MSG content. These processing methods break down proteins in ways that release free glutamic acid, creating MSG-like effects without the obvious labeling.
Studies show that over 60% of packaged foods contain added sugars, preservatives, artificial flavors, or other chemical additives that can negatively impact your health, and food manufacturers use loopholes in labeling laws to disguise unhealthy ingredients. The system is literally designed to confuse and mislead you.
The Real Cost of Hidden Ingredients
These hidden ingredients aren’t just annoying – they’re rewiring your brain and body in ways that promote disease. Many processed foods contain hidden toxins that have been linked to inflammation, hormonal imbalances in both males and females, gut disturbances, metabolic disorders, ADHD, autism, mental/emotional disorders, and chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
The scale of this problem is staggering. The average American consumes significant amounts of artificial additives each year without even realizing it. Meanwhile, Texas has considered legislation regarding food labeling requirements for certain ingredients that are not recommended for human consumption by authorities in Australia, Canada, the European Union, or the United Kingdom, inspired by the “Make America Healthy Again” movement.
The next time you’re shopping, remember that ingredient lists are battlefields where food companies fight for your wallet while your health hangs in the balance. The smartest shoppers aren’t just those who read labels – they’re the ones who understand the elaborate shell game being played with ingredient names, and choose whole foods whenever possible.
