The campaign to make high-fructose corn syrup palatable has begun. Make no mistake about it, this shit is evil. The environmental impact of producing this vile stuff (hydrochloric acid is often used in processing corn kernels into soda sugar) alone is reason to ban it, not to mention the fact that its widespread use has tracked almost step by step with a nationwide growth in obesity. But America’s corn growers – mostly giant multinationals, not folksy farmers in the heartland – saw what happened to partially hydrogenated soybean oil and have decided to get out in front. Smart, even if it decimates the American diet even further. My own personal corn syrup ban remains in effect. [via buzzfeed]