16 November 2008

Orowheat Breads Stops Using HFCS

I just noticed that Orowheat brand bread, which is widely available in supermarkets in the San Francisco Bay Area, has recently stopped using high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as a key ingredient.  For years, I ate Orowheat bread, but then I stopped when I realized HFCS was a commonly used ingredient in its various bread varieties, except for its organic specialty breads. I am glad to see Orowheat has responded to market pressures to stop using the nasty stuff.

The product labeling highlights both the omission of HFCS as well as the now popular claim of "0 grams trans fat".  I actually don't recall if partially hydrogenated oil was in the ingredients list in the past.  I'll guess it was and now it too is gone due to market pressures.

I would suspect there are still other questionable ingredients involved, given the likely need for a major brand to keep production costs down, but for now, we'll count this as a big win for the elimination of HFCS and trans fats from store shelves.