Children of the Corn
The newest ads to join the ranks of the awkwardly negative don’t belong to a U.S. Senator with D.C. on the brain- they’re the work of the Corn Refiners Association, and they’re meant to remind us that corn syrup is really good for us.
Wait- what?!
Haven’t we just spend the last decade (or more) coming to the painful realization that gross over-consumption of foods and beverages rife with the high fructose sweetener is the reason obesity is now referred to as a life threatening epidemic in this country?
The tone of the ads is irritatingly sarcastic, and brings to mind the irrational arguments of the industry’s evil step-brother, Big Tobbaco. Fit and active looking actors raising pitying eyebrows at “nutritionally challenged” friends who turn down sugary snacks because of their corn syrup content. “Don’t you know that like everything, corn syrup is fine in moderation?” they ask. I keep half expecting the next line of dialogue to be “Like- DUH!” This is a supporting argument that wouldn’t even stand up in a junior high debate.
But take heart! The emergence of this sugary propaganda is actually a good sign. It means that corn refiners are scared. Despite the fact that they’ve worked so hard to sneak their product into every packaged, processed goody rolling off the mass-production lines- people are getting wise.
Fruits and veggies are making a come back as people become more educated about where their food comes from, who’s growing it and what goes into it. Organic is becoming accessible and local is becoming desirable. And this is all bad news for CoCo Puffs and Coca Cola.
So the next time one of these ads threatens to occupy some of your brain space- reach for an apple or better yet, go for a walk- and think about how irritated it’s making a corn refiner at that very moment.