Why Did America Start Using High Fructose Corn Syrup?

December 23, 2025 •

3 min read

Following the Cuban Revolution and subsequent sugar shortages, American food manufacturers began pivoting away from expensive imported cane sugar. This dramatic shift in sweetener production was driven by a powerful combination of favorable agricultural policies and technological advances that made high fructose corn syrup a cheap, reliable alternative.

Quick Summary

An examination of the government policies, economic pressures, and technological innovations in the mid-20th century that led to the food industry's widespread adoption of high fructose corn syrup over traditional sugar.

Key Points

Economic Drivers: Sugar import tariffs and corn subsidies created a massive price gap, making HFCS significantly cheaper than sugar.
Technological Innovation: The discovery of the enzyme glucose isomerase in the 1950s made large-scale, cost-effective production of HFCS possible.
Industry Adoption: Major companies like Coca-Cola and Pepsi switched to HFCS in the 1980s to cut costs and stabilize their supply chain.
Functional Benefits: Beyond cost, HFCS offered advantages for manufacturers, including liquid form for easy handling and properties that improved product shelf life.
Health and Perception: Despite its benefits for producers, public health concerns and growing consumer awareness have led to a decline in its use since its 1999 peak.

The Economic Pressure Cooker

During the 1970s, the United States food and beverage industry experienced significant economic pressure that fundamentally changed how it sweetened its products. A combination of rising global sugar prices and protective domestic policies created the perfect environment for an alternative sweetener to flourish.

The Impact of Sugar Tariffs and Quotas

In an effort to protect the domestic sugar industry, the U.S. government implemented import tariffs and quotas that artificially inflated the price of imported cane sugar. This made it a costly ingredient for mass-market food and drink manufacturers. Simultaneously, the price of domestically grown corn was kept low due to longstanding government subsidies for farmers, making corn an incredibly cheap and abundant raw material. This disparity created a powerful economic incentive for companies to seek a new, cost-effective sweetener derived from corn.

How Government Subsidies Made Corn Syrup Irresistible

American agricultural policy heavily subsidized corn farming, ensuring a massive and inexpensive supply of the crop. This surplus corn was then processed into cornstarch, the key ingredient for high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). For food manufacturers, this created a predictable and stable supply chain, protecting them from the volatility of the global sugar market. Major corporations like Coca-Cola and Pepsi famously made the full switch from sugar to HFCS in the early 1980s, solidifying the new sweetener's dominance.

The Technical Breakthroughs

While economic factors provided the motivation, technical innovation made the transition to HFCS possible. The story begins in the 1950s and 60s with the discovery and refinement of new processes.

The Enzyme That Changed Everything

In 1957, scientists Richard O. Marshall and Earl R. Kooi developed an enzyme called glucose isomerase. This enzyme had a transformative ability to convert glucose in corn syrup into fructose, a sweeter form of sugar. This enzymatic process allowed manufacturers to create a syrup with a sweetness profile comparable to sucrose (table sugar) but at a fraction of the cost. Japanese researchers further refined this process in the 1960s, leading to the commercial viability of HFCS.

A timeline of HFCS adoption:

1957: Enzyme glucose isomerase is discovered, making HFCS production possible.
Early 1970s: First HFCS products are marketed in the U.S. as a liquid sweetener.
1975-1985: Widespread adoption across the food and beverage industry accelerates.
1980s: Major soft drink companies complete their switch to HFCS.
1999: U.S. per capita HFCS consumption reaches its peak.

Beyond Sweetness: Functional Advantages

For the food industry, HFCS offered more than just low cost. Its functional properties provided significant advantages in manufacturing and product development. These included:

Enhanced Stability: As a liquid, HFCS is easier to transport, measure, and mix into products than granulated sugar.
Improved Shelf Life: The chemical properties of HFCS can help prevent microbial growth and maintain moisture, extending the freshness of many products.
Better Consistency: HFCS creates a smoother, more uniform texture in certain foods, such as dressings, breads, and condiments.

The Great Sweetener Debate and Its Aftermath

The widespread adoption of HFCS coincided with a dramatic rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes rates in America, leading many to question its health effects. While the link is complex and not definitively causal, the negative public perception eventually led to a slight decline in HFCS consumption after 1999, with many brands beginning to reintroduce cane sugar in their products. The Corn Refiners Association's 2010 attempt to rename HFCS to "corn sugar" was rejected by the FDA, highlighting the sweetener's controversial public image.


Feature	High Fructose Corn Syrup	Table Sugar (Sucrose)
Origin	Derived from cornstarch	From sugarcane or sugar beets
Cost	Historically cheaper due to corn subsidies	Subject to higher tariffs and price volatility
Form	Primarily a liquid syrup	Crystalline solid
Fructose/Glucose Ratio	Typically 42% or 55% fructose	50% fructose, 50% glucose
Manufacturing	Requires enzymatic process	Requires refining and crystallization

Conclusion

The story of high fructose corn syrup in America is a compelling case study of how government policy, technological innovation, and economic forces can converge to reshape a nation's food supply. The switch was not a simple change in ingredients but a systemic shift driven by the promise of lower costs and production efficiencies for food manufacturers. Today, while its ubiquity has slightly declined due to evolving public sentiment and health concerns, HFCS remains a significant part of the food landscape, a legacy of the economic dynamics of the late 20th century.

Frequently Asked Questions

The main reason was economic; high sugar prices, driven by protective tariffs on imported sugar, made high fructose corn syrup a much cheaper alternative due to government subsidies on corn.

While HFCS was developed in the 1950s, its use became widespread in the United States starting in the 1970s and accelerated rapidly through the 1980s.

Yes, major soft drink manufacturers, including Coca-Cola and Pepsi, switched from using cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup in the 1980s to capitalize on its lower cost.

It is cheaper due to agricultural policies, but HFCS is a manufactured product from cornstarch, whereas table sugar (sucrose) comes from cane or beets. They have different compositions and functional properties.

Absolutely. Government subsidies made corn, the raw material for HFCS, exceptionally cheap and abundant, providing food manufacturers with a stable, low-cost source for their sweetener needs.

Beyond cost, HFCS is easier to handle as a liquid, offers improved shelf stability, and provides consistent sweetness and texture, which are all advantageous for large-scale food production.

Yes, consumption of HFCS has been in a slow decline since peaking around 1999, primarily due to negative public perception and growing health concerns.