Help me write my new petition, Ben & Jerry's is using corn syrup

[tuggle]

Hi everyone,
I'm writing another online petition, this time to send to Ben & Jerry's asking them to stop using corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup in their products. I've written the first draft but it seems a little long. I want to make 3 major points: 1. we support Ben & Jerry's in their fight against Monsanto - as they oppose rGBH and antibiotics, 2. Corn syrup is deadly bad for your health - and can be easily (though less cheaply) avoided in food products, and 3. is horrendous for the environment. I should probably write the Michael Pollan excerpt in my own words and reference the author. Any help making this more concise and convincing is appreciated!
Thanks so much!
Beth

here's the text:

Many loyal consumers of Ben & Jerry's ice cream have conscientiously purchased your products to the exclusion of others because of the company's opposition of rGBH and antibiotic use in dairy products. Even more importantly, we support Ben & Jerry's in the fight against Monsanto's bullying tactics to restrict labeling of their products as free of recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rBST, also known as recombinant bovine growth hormone, or rBGH. We find it more than disturbing that Ben & Jerry's is using corn syrup and high fructose corn syrup in its ice cream.
Michael Pollan, author of THE BOTANY OF DESIRE writes, "The problem in corn's case is that we're sacrificing the health of both our bodies and the environment by growing and eating so much of it...It's probably no coincidence that the wholesale switch to corn sweeteners in the 1980's marks the beginning of the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in this country...there's also preliminary research suggesting that high-fructose corn syrup is metabolized differently than other sugars, making it potentially more harmful. A recent study at the University of Minnesota found that a diet high in fructose (as compared to glucose) elevates triglyceride levels in men shortly after eating, a phenomenon that has been linked to an increased risk of obesity and heart disease...
"We know a lot more about what 80 million acres of corn is doing to the health of our environment: serious and lasting damage. Modern corn hybrids are the greediest of plants, demanding more nitrogen fertilizer than any other crop. Corn requires more pesticide than any other food crop. Runoff from these chemicals finds its way into the groundwater and, in the Midwestern corn belt, into the Mississippi River, which carries it to the Gulf of Mexico, where it has already killed off marine life in a 12,000 square mile area... America's corn crop might look like a sustainable, solar-powered system for producing food, but it is actually a huge, inefficient, polluting machine that guzzles fossil fuel - a half a gallon of it for every bushel."
It is our believe that using corn syrup in Ben & Jerry's ice cream is inconsistent with the political, environmental, and public health awareness previously embraced by Ben & Jerry's. Clearly, the source of the corn syrup is additional ingredients like fudge, caramel, and candy. All these ingredients can be made without corn syrup and are available in the marketplace. It is irresponsible to use such a damaging ingredient in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs.

Your attention to this serious health and environmental concern is greatly appreciated.

Very Truly Yours,

[ColbertWatcher]

1. For what it's worth...

Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream has earned their place atop American food manufacturers for their leadership in banning rGBH and antibiotic use in their products.

As the public becomes more informed about the ingredients added to their foods, we ask that Ben & Jerry's help end the pervasive use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in America's diet by ending their use of it in their ice cream.

HFCS has been shown to be dangerous to the overall health of consumers as well as to the environment.

It is the belief of the signatories to this petition, a leader in the industry such as Ben & Jerry's can help end the use of HFCS by using more natural and healthy alternatives to that sweetener.

Author Michael Pollan writes extensively about the health problems inherent to the consumption of HFCS and the damage to the environment from the increased need for corn to manufacture the HFCS.

In his book, The Botanay of Desire, Pollan shows the correlation between ingestion of HFCSs and the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes and increased chemicals in the groundwater due to the pesticide use in the growing of corn.

It is our belief that using HFCS in Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream is inconsistent with the political, environmental, and public health awareness that is essential to Ben & Jerry's reputation. It is irresponsible to use such a damaging ingredient in an effort to reduce manufacturing costs when there are alternatives available in the marketplace.

Ben & Jerry's can continue to lead American food manufacturing by ending their use of HFCS in all their products.

Your attention to this serious health and environmental concern is greatly appreciated.

[tuggle]

4. that is BEAUTIFUL! I am editing right now...Thank you so much!

You are very well written
:yourock:

[ColbertWatcher]

5. You're welcome. n/t

[zorahopkins]

2. Ice Cream Is Bad For Your Health

Telling Ben and Jerry's to stop using high fructose corn syrup in ice cream because high fructose corn syrup is bad for a person's health makes NO sense at all.

Ice Cream -- especially high fat ice creamm -- is bad for a person's health.

Ben and Jerry's should NOT sell ice cream at all -- it's high in fat and will clog people's arteries, leading to diabetes and heart disease.

The real effort should be in stopping people from eating ice cream that is high in fat, or in encouraging Ben and Jerry's to market low fat sherbet instead of ice cream.

[tuggle]

3. I disagree

Sugar and milk fat may not be good for us, but it's a far healthier treat esp. when eaten in moderation than rGBH-infected milk and corn syrup

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

6. Any evidence that it's "far healthier?"

Given that rGBH-milk isn't any different than regular milk, and corn syrup is just sugar, good luck finding any.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. If The Poster Comes Through With Any Proof. . .

. . .could you forward it to me too? I'd sure like to see how sugar is different than sugar and that how simple sugars are less healthy than complex sugar.

Thanks
GAC

[EOTE]

9. I'd like to know too.

I wouldn't doubt that HFCS has a worse environmental impact than regular sugar, and I do find that regular sugar tastes better (especially in sodas). But I've yet to see anything that says that HFCS is worse, gram for gram, than regular sugar. They're both 100% carbohydrates.

[tuggle]

18. my god you people are such pains in the ass

Link #1: http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/toomuchcorn071902.cfm

Link #2 From JAMA: http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/292/8/927?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=%22corn+syrup%22&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT
"Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, Weight Gain, and Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in Young and Middle-Aged Women"

Link #3 "The oil that we eat:" http://www.harpers.org/archive/2004/02/0079915

Listen to Talk of the Nation: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1150313

from femhealth.com: "People who use HFCS as a sweetener increase their triglycerides 32 percent relative to people who use mostly sugar, according to University of Minnesota professor John Bantle. The body metabolizes high fructose corn syrup differently than sugar. It blunts the body's ability to recognize when it is full and increases a person's appetite.

High Fructose Corn Syrup puts people at risk for metabolic syndrome. According to the Mayo Clinic, "Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that occur together, increasing your risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes. Having just one of these conditions — increased blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, excess body fat around the waist or abnormal cholesterol levels — contributes to your risk of serious disease. In combination, your risk is even greater."

Mayo website: There is a a rise in uric acid in the bloodstream that occurs after fructose is consumed. The temporary spike of HFCS blocks the action of insulin, which typically regulates how body cells use and store sugar and other food nutrients for energy. If uric acid levels are frequently elevated, over time features of metabolic syndrome may develop, including high blood pressure, obesity and elevated blood cholesterol levels.

Research by the U. S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reveals that high fructose diets shorten the life span of laboratory mice from the normal two years to a mere five weeks."

If you'd like to see an entire documentary, go to http://www.kingcorn.net/

[ProfessorGAC]

20. If You Say So

Organic Consumers is not an unbiased and dispassionate source. Enough said.

The JAMA study is concerned, in the conclusions about the OVERCONSUMPTION of sweetened drinks. The sweetener isn't the concern, it's an artifact. Their conclusions aren't about HFCS. It's about drinking too much pop. There is nothing in there that suggests that the type of sugar is the issue. You didn't read that part, did you?

The Mayo study does not say what you think it says. You didn't read that very carefully either, did you?

Mice have a very different metabolic process in the reaction of insulin and sugar. The simpler the sugar the better the reaction. The Mayo website does NOT suggest that the problem is the HFCS. You need to read it more carefully. It says that the use of it causes the sugar to get into the system FASTER (because it's a simpler sugar) which causes the spike over which their concerned.

The CDC website has a study that completely contradicts the correlation between cholesterol and HCFS. So, which one should we believe? I know you have an unscientific bias, so i know which one you like. The one that sort of supports your contention unless you actually read the whole thing!

So, i'm being a pain in the ass from questioning the science behind YOUR statement? I'll take that as a compliment as i consider the source.
The Professor (of Chemistry)

Dolt!

[tuggle]

21. you ignore the environmental insult of corn

And you are also ignoring the problem associated with corn syrup being the staple diet of the poor in America, not to mention the fact that our palates are ruined. So bite me!

signed,
The Professor (of psychopharmacology)
PhD
:P

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

28. The discussion wasn't over the environmental impact of corn.

(although I've got to wonder how it compares to the dietary impact of dairy farms and sugar cane/beet farms needed for your ice cream.)

As a professor, I'd think you'd be literate enough to recognize that.

[tuggle]

30. yes it was, and fuck you

[slampoet]

31. Make someone else do the research for you and then attack the sources?

Gosh ProfessorGAC you use the same method that Rush Limbaugh uses.

[tuggle]

24. Scientists have found evidence of harm to those consuming rGBH

and you can find the goddamn link yourself, you cynical cumquat

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. You mean to the cows?

Because scientists have proven that the milk coming out of treated cows is identical to the milk coming out of non-treated cows. rGBH just increases production.

You should have figured that out before opening your mouth, you ignorant breadfruit.

[B3Nut]

16. Yeah, but sometimes you just gotta.

Definitely not something one should eat everyday, but as an occasional treat, it's wonderful. I have no use for pretentious wannabe-nannies who purport to tell me what to eat. I'm capable of making my own choices, TYVM. Everything in moderation...

[hyphenate]

27. Real ice cream is a joy

and a beauty to behold. You might want to take my Ben and Jerry's ice cream away from me, but you will do so only from my cold, dead hands.

We really need to stop being so goddamned politically correct that we would take away one of the few major joys of life. Give it up yourself--I choose ice cream as a pleasure in my insignificant and painful existence, and I think people should stop trying to change the habits of others, especially in an area of their diets. People get awfully twitchy when someone tries to impose their standards on other people who don't give a fuck what the other person wants.

Besides which, Ben and Jerry's is one of the truly progressive companies in the world, never mind just the United States. They are one company we should defend in this cold and harsh reality of the Bush administration.

[dflprincess]

7. You know that Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry's in 2000

Lots of luck convincing them to do the right thing.

[ColbertWatcher]

10. Who/what the hell is Unilever? Please. n/t

[dflprincess]

12. A couple links:

Official corporate site for a major manufacturer of food, home care, and personal products including margarine, tea, and Dove soap.

www.unilever.com/

and

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unilever

Unilever is a multi-national corporation, formed of Anglo-Dutch parentage that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products. Unilever employs nearly 180,000 people<2> and had a worldwide revenue of almost €40 billion, or just over US$62 billion, in 2005.

Unilever is a dual-listed company consisting of Unilever NV in Rotterdam and Unilever PLC in London. This arrangement is similar to that of Reed Elsevier, and that of Royal Dutch Shell prior to their unified structure. Both Unilever companies have the same directors and effectively operate as a single business. The current non-executive Chairman of Unilever N.V. and PLC is Michael Treschow while Patrick Cescau is Group Chief Executive. The company is widely listed on the world's stock exchanges<3> <4>.


Brands:
After some recent purges, Unilever now owns about 400 brands, many of them local that can only be found in certain countries. The brands fall almost entirely into two categories: Food and Beverages, and Home and Personal Care.

Ades or Adez - soya-based drinks
Alsa - desserts and syrups
Amora - French mayonnaise and dressings
Annapurna - salt and wheat flour (India)
Becel - also known as Flora/Promise; health-aware: margarine, spreads, cooking oil, milk, fermented milk
Ben and Jerry's - ice cream
Best Foods - mayonnaise, sandwich spreads, peanut butter and salad dressings
Bertolli - pasta sauces and olive oil (ambient/chilled & frozen)
Bifi - a mini salami
Blue Band - Family-aware: margarine, bread, cream alternatives
Bovril - beef extract
Breyers - ice cream
Brooke Bond - tea
Bru - instant coffee (India)
Brummel & Brown - margarine
Bushells - tea (Australia, New Zealand)
Calvé - sauces, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, peanut butter
Capitan Findus - children's frozen food
Conimex - Asian spices (Netherlands)
Colman's - mustard
Continental - side dishes
Country Crock - margarine
Du Darfst (Germany)
Elmlea - Pourable cream available in different varieties (UK)
Fanacoa - Mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup (Argentina)
Findus - frozen foods (Italy, UK, Scandinavia)
Flora- margarine, light butter, jams
Fruco- ketchup, mayonnaise and condiments
Fudgsicle
Gallo - olive oil
Heartbrand - ice cream (umbrella logo)
Hellmann's - mayonnaise
I Can't Believe It's Not Butter - margarine spread
Imperial Margarine - margarine
Jif Lemon & Lime Juice
Karo - syrups
Kecap Bango - soya sauce in Indonesia
Kissan - Ketchups Squashes and Jams (India and Pakistan)
Klondike - Ice cream sandwiches
Knorr (Knorr-Suiza in Argentina) - sauces, stock cubes, ready-meals, meal kits, ready-soups, frozen food range
Lady's Choice - mayonnaise, peanut butter and sandwich spreads (Philippines)
Lan-Choo - tea (Australia/New Zealand)
Lao Cai Seasoning
Lawry's and Adolph's
Lipton - tea
Lipton Ice Tea - ready-to-drink tea (partnership with PepsiCo)
Maille - French mustard
Maizena - corn starch
Mazola - edible oils
Marmite - yeast extract spread (except in Australia and New Zealand)
McCollins - tea (Peru)
Mrs. Filbert's - margarine (USA)
Paddle pop - Icecream (Australia)
Pfanni - Bavarian potato mixes
Peperami
PG Tips - tea (UK)
Phase - cooking oil
Planta - margarine
Popsicle - Frozen treats
Pot Noodle - cup noodles
Promise - see Becel/Flora
Ragú - pasta sauces
Rama - margarine
Royal - pastas (Philippines)
Royco - stock cubes, non-MSG stock (only in Indonesia)
Red Rose Tea - tea (Canada)
Sana - Margarine (Turkey)
Saga - tea (Poland)
Sariwangi - tea (Indonesia)
Scottish Blend - tea
Skippy - peanut butter
Slim·Fast - diet products
Sunlight Soap (Africa)
Stork margarine
Streets (ice cream) (Australia/New Zealand)
Turun sinappi - mustard (Finland/Sweden)
Unilever Foodsolutions - professional markets (food service)
Unox - soups, smoked sausages
Vaqueiro - cooking margarine, cooking oil
Wish-Bone salad dressing

[ColbertWatcher]

13. Damn.

Are there any food manufacturers still owned by American companies?

Thank you for answering.

[dflprincess]

15. I know

and I really felt awful when I found out Ben & Jerry's was no longer independent.

[ColbertWatcher]

17. I feel violated...

[tuggle]

23. I did know about Unilever

But I still want to support a company that "opposes the use of recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone" just the same. And they're fighting MONSANTO, the devil itself!!!!!

[Starry Messenger]

25. wow

good to know, thank you.

MPK

[Maine-ah]

11. that's what I was gonna post too.

:hi:

[cobalt1999]

14. Buy your ice cream from a local quality maker instead.

Or, you can order from the best Ice Cream maker in the country...

www.graeters.com

"Our secret recipe of fresh cream and egg custard is
gently swirled along the chilled sides of a slowly spinning
French Pot Freezer. As the creamy blend thickens, a
blade softly scrapes the sides of the pot, folding the ice
cream into itself. Then we add the fresh ingredients to
complete our unique flavors.

The gentle folding process prevents air from whipping
into our ice cream and accounts for the extremely dense
and creamy consistency. Where a typical pint of ice
cream can weigh as little as 8 ounces, a Graeter’s pint
weighs nearly a full pound! Graeter’s ice cream is so rich
and creamy that we have to pack every pint by hand.

[tuggle]

19. Thanks for the excellent link!!!

[tuggle]

22. For New Yorkers: Adirondack Creamery ice cream

Adirondack Creamery ice cream

News: Lower East Side couple Paul Nasrani and Simi Mir are taking on Ben & Jerry's in a dairy case near you. Their all-natural Adirondack Creamery ice cream, made from hormone-free milk and cream from local farms, is now available in flavors like Whiteface Mint Chip and Barkeater — just look for the plain white cartons at Garden of Eden, Westside Market and Amish Markets, and Fine Fare. The couple is committed to selling only within 150 miles of the dairy in Kingston, New York, where Nasrani drives to make flavors ranging from coffee to peanut butter. Still, with the emphasis on localization, we wonder why they’re considering using Oregon cherries for an upcoming flavor. What's wrong with the ones at Union Square? —Alec Appelbaum

[cobalt1999]

26. Damn. Now I'm hungry!

Next time I'm in NY, I'm scouting that one out.