In the 1970s international tariffs caused sugar prices to rise, which created a problem for some manufacturers. As a result, they began to look for alternative products that were more cost effective. Until this time, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) had not been used a lot. Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are a group of industrial chemicals primarily used for cooling and refrigeration. HFCs were developed to replace stratospheric ozone-depleting substances that are currently being phased out under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.

It was a good alternative to sugar and was cheaper because of the government subsidies that American farmers received for growing corn. The use of HFCS steadily rose and is now regularly used as an ingredient in processed food such as tinned vegetables and ketchup. In the 1980s two of the largest fizzy drink’s manufacturers stopped using sugar completely and replaced it with HFCS, which made the sweetener more acceptable.

Today HFCs is a controversial product, regularly blamed for the rising weight gain occurring in the USA. There are also concerns that it has the potential to cause other health problems such as diabetes, heart and liver disease because it is processed and is not a natural form of sugar. As a result, some health groups have argued that it should be banned. Despite these worries, there is little scientific evidence to suggest that HFCS is any more harmful than other types of sweeteners, including sugar.