HFCS the industrial sweetener that is in just about everything these days, candy, soda, cereal, ketchup, oatmeal, you name it... has been know to be bad for us, especially in the quantities consumed by the modern processed food society... But now we know it is even worse than we thought.

A new study finds that;

Almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.

"The bad news is that nobody knows whether or not their soda or snack food contains HFCS made from ingredients like caustic soda contaminated with mercury. The good news is that mercury-free HFCS ingredients exist. Food companies just need a good push to only use those ingredients," Wallinga said.

WaPo

That's right, Mercury! Funny I did not see that on the label.

Mercury is known to cause stuff like this;

peripheral neuropathy (presenting as paresthesia or itching, burning or pain)
skin discoloration (pink cheeks, fingertips and toes)
edema (swelling)
and desquamation (dead skin peels off in layers).
hyperhidrosis (profuse sweating)
tachycardia (persistently faster-than-normal heart beat)
mercurial ptyalism (hypersalivation) and hypertension (high blood pressure)

Affected children may show red cheeks and nose, erythematous lips (red lips), loss of hair, teeth, and nails, transient rashes, hypotonia (muscle weakness), and photophobia. Other symptoms may include kidney disfunction (e.g. Fanconi syndrome) or neuropsychiatric symptoms (emotional lability, memory impairment, insomnia)wikipedia

As more news gets out, now that science and information will not be blocked at the highest levels--maybe folks will eat less stuff that contains HFCS. And that maybe since Obama has taken the reigns and Vilsack is making strong signs over at Ag to work with the FDA on food and health-- things may get better. In the meantime let's work to get the news out ourselves and make changes in our diets. (I know I drink way too much coke.) back to basics people.

UPDATE:
IN a comprehensive diary over at Kos about various Food industry stuff OrangeClouds has a list of some of the products that tested positive for mercury.

Here's a list of foods that contained mercury - almost 1/3 of the 55 foods tested:

1. Quaker Oatmeal to Go

2. Jack Daniel's Barbecue Sauce (Heinz)

3. Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

4. Kraft Original Barbecue Sauce

5. Nutri-Grain Strawberry Cereal Bars

6. Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe

7. Market Pantry Grape Jelly

8. Smucker's Strawberry Jelly

8. Pop-Tarts Frosted Blueberry

10. Hunt's Tomato Ketchup

11. Wish-Bone Western Sweet & Smooth

12. Coca-Cola Classic

13. Yoplait Strawberry Yogurt

14. Minute Maid Berry Punch

15. Yoo-hoo Chocolate Drink

16. Nesquik Chocolate Milk

17. Kemps Fat Free Chocolate Milk