Corn syrup makers want sweeter name to deal with image problem: corn sugar

Corn syrup makers want sweeter name: corn sugar

NEW YORK — The makers of high fructose corn syrup want to sweeten its image with a new name: corn sugar.

The bid to rename the sweetener by the Corn Refiners Association comes as Americans’ concerns about their health have sent consumption of high fructose corn syrup to a 20-year low.

The group plans to apply Tuesday to get “corn sugar” approved as an alternative name for food labels.

Approval could take two years. There’s a new online marketing campaign at www.cornsugar.com and on television.

Renaming products has succeeded before. For example, rapeseed oil became much more popular after becoming “canola oil” in 1988. Prunes tried to shed a stodgy image by becoming “dried plums” in 2000.