What are corn-based sweeteners?
Corn-derived sweeteners are caloric sweeteners produced through the enzymatic processing of corn starch. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS), corn syrup, and corn syrup solids are among the most widely used sweeteners in the American food supply due to their low cost, liquid form, and functional versatility. These sweeteners became dominant in US food manufacturing in the 1970s and 1980s when production methods made them significantly less expensive than cane sugar. HFCS is now the primary sweetener in most US soft drinks, and its presence on ingredient labels is one of the indicators used in food processing level classification systems like NOVA to identify ultra-processed foods.
67,481 products in our database contain corn-based sweeteners. 50,659 of them (75%) are Level 4, the most processed of our four levels.
Which foods contain corn-based sweeteners?
Corn sweeteners are found in soft drinks, fruit-flavored beverages, breakfast cereals, bread, baked goods, condiments (ketchup, barbecue sauce), salad dressings, canned fruits, ice cream, candy, granola bars, and many shelf-stable processed foods.
Shoprite, Scrunchy, Toasted Oats Sweetened Oat Cereal, Apple Cinnamon
Apple Cinnamon Sweetened Toasted Oat Cereal
The Original Caesar Dressing
Family Recipe Italian Dressing
Ketzal for iPhone
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Crackers, Real Cheddar Cheese
Crackers, Cheddar Cheese
Apple Cinnamon Sweetened Toasted Oat Cereal, Apple Cinnamon
Ripe Strawberry Premium Ice Cream Wrapped in Sweet, Pillowy Dough Mochi Ice Cream, Ripe Strawberry
Kellogg's Eggo Pancakes Blueberry 3.03oz
Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Toasted Coconut Granola Bar
Nature Valley Protein Peanut Almond & Dark Chocolate Chewy Bar
Sweet Mango Premium Ice Cream, Sweet Mango
Ripe Strawberry Premium Mochi Ice Cream Wrapped in a Sweet, Soft Dough, Ripe Strawberry
Toasted Coconut Peanut, Coconut, and Granola Dipped in Almond Butter Coating Sweet & Salty Nut Granola Bars
Milk Chocolate Assortment G Cubes, Milk Chocolate
Kroger, Jelly, Concord Grape
Gin Gins, Ginger Caramel Candy
Stonehedge Farms, Old Fashioned Caramel Popcorn
Food Lion, Jelly, Apple
Del Monte, Sliced Peaches
Freestone Slices
Del Monte, Sliced Bartlett Pears in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte, Sliced Peaches Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup
Kroger, Apple Jelly
Great Value, Strawberry Preserves, Strawberry
Del Monte, Peach Chunks, Yellow Cling Peaches in Heavy Syrup
Del Monte, Halves Pear
Kroger, Squeezable Jelly, Grape
Duncan Hines, Comstock, Original Pie Filling & Topping, Royal Blueberry
Kroger, Original Coffee Creamer
Cashews Snacks
Beer Nuts
Blend of Corn Syrup & Pure Honey
Peanut Butter Bones
Crystal White Corn Syrup, Crystal White
Light Corn Syrup with Real Vanilla, Light, Vanilla
Light Corn Syrup, Light Corn
Beer Nuts, Original Peanuts Snacks
Light Corn Syrup, Real Vanilla
Original Peanuts, Sweet and Salty
Original Peanuts
Lite Corn Syrup with Real Vanilla, Real Vanilla
Light Corn Syrup Made with Real Vanilla
Light Corn Syrup with Real Vanilla, Real Vanilla
Light Corn Syrup with Real Vanilla, Real Vanilla
Food Club
Original Peanuts Snacks, Original
Beer Nuts
Polar Mint
Il Ju Industrial Company, Tu Chung Tea
Dulce Reg La Molienda, Peanut Candy
La Molienda, Coconut Candy
Sesame Snaps
La Molienda, Pecan Candy
Korean Ginseng Tea
Pitted Sour Cherry Preserve
Mints, Peppermint
Pur
Sesame Seeds Candy
Bemarkca, Pilones Dominicanos Sesame Lolly Pop
Creative Snacks Co., Green Bean Chips
Glucose
Wilton
Glucose
Maltodextrin Powder, Unflavored, Unflavored
Nutricost
Also known as
Corn-Based Sweeteners can appear in ingredient lists under several names. If you see any of the following, this is the ingredient family you are looking at:
Function
Corn sweeteners serve as cost-effective alternatives to cane and beet sugar while providing additional functional properties in food manufacturing. They contribute sweetness, moisture retention, browning, and texture to processed foods. HFCS in particular remains liquid at room temperature, making it practical for beverages and pourable products where granulated sugar would be impractical. Corn syrup resists crystallization, making it essential in candy making. Corn syrup solids provide sweetness and bulk in dry mixes and powdered products.
Sources
Corn sweeteners are derived from corn starch through a multi-step industrial enzymatic process. Corn starch is first broken down into glucose using alpha-amylase and glucoamylase enzymes. For HFCS production, an additional step uses glucose isomerase to convert a portion of the glucose into fructose. HFCS-55 (55% fructose, used in beverages) and HFCS-42 (42% fructose, used in baked goods and processed foods) are the most common commercial forms. The resulting syrup is refined, filtered, and concentrated to the desired sweetness and viscosity levels.
Health considerations
Corn sweeteners provide approximately 4 calories per gram, similar to table sugar. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that added sugars comprise less than 10% of total daily calories, which includes all corn-derived sweeteners. Added sugars from HFCS and corn syrup must be included in the added sugars declaration on the Nutrition Facts label. HFCS must be listed by its specific name in ingredient lists per FDA requirements.
This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
Regulatory
HFCS is classified as GRAS by the FDA. The FDA denied a petition to rename HFCS as "corn sugar," requiring it to be labeled specifically as "high fructose corn syrup" on ingredient labels. Added sugars from all corn sweeteners must be declared on the Nutrition Facts label. Corn syrup and corn syrup solids have distinct regulatory definitions based on their dextrose equivalent (DE) values. The EU uses the term "glucose-fructose syrup" or "fructose-glucose syrup" depending on fructose content.