Tag: Ingredient costs

A 2025 study found that homemade cold-pressed juice can be significantly more cost-effective over time than buying pre-packaged options. But is it cheaper to make your own juice cleanse when considering all factors, including equipment and labor? The simple answer is yes, but the long-term savings often outweigh the initial effort and investment.

According to the USDA, HFCS rivals sucrose as the major sweetener in processed foods in the United States. It is nearly impossible to find a processed food aisle in a supermarket that is not filled with products containing high-fructose corn syrup, from sodas and sauces to condiments and cereals. The reasons for its ubiquity are a mix of economic advantages for manufacturers and unique functional properties in food production.

According to the International Food Information Council, 71% of U.S. consumers aimed to increase their protein intake in 2024, yet many are now facing a protein powder shortage. The scarcity of this once-ubiquitous supplement is due to a perfect storm of challenges impacting the global supply chain and raw material production.

Since its commercial introduction in the 1970s, high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has become a dominant sweetener in the American food and beverage industry. For consumers, this raises a fundamental question: why do companies use fructose so extensively in processed foods?