I was looking again at the quote from Con-Agra in regards to trace amounts of mercury found in HFCS-laced foods like ketchup, and the thing is, people don’t just eat ketchup. HFCS is everywhere.

HFCS is also used as a sweetner in a vast array of common foods, from barbecue sauce to tomato soup.

The PR spokesperson said a person would have to eat 100 pounds of ketchup a day to reach the safe exposure levels. Ok then, let’s reverse-engineer the quote. How much HFCS is in ketchup? Using that, plus the USDA’s data that the According to the USDA, average person ate 128.3 pounds of HFCS in 2006, maybe we can figure out how much HFCS-related mercury people ingest a year, at least in the hypopthetical worse-case scenario where all HFCS has mercury.

Also, mercury builds up in the muscle of fish, does it do the same for humans?

If people are eating all this HFCS on the regular and little bits of mercury are adding up…then that’s something worth looking into. It’s not necessarily a crisis, but it’s also not as trivial as the spokesperson tried to make it sound (imagine that).

PREVIOUSLY: Teeny Bits Of Mercury Found In High Fructose Corn Syrup Foods
(Photo: woohooitsallie)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.