Dive Brief:
- The courtroom battle between sugar and corn syrup didn't last long — the industries settled an ad campaign lawsuit regarding high fructose corn syrup Friday. Opening statements started earlier this month.
- In a 2011 lawsuit, sugar refiners cried foul on the Corn Refiners Association characterizing high fructose corn syrup as "corn sugar" and "natural." That caused the corn industry to countersue; alleging the Sugar Association blamed corn syrup for obesity and cancer in a newsletter.
- The settlement's terms were not released, though were made in the middle of trial.
Dive Insight:
"The parties had been trying to work on an agreement for a month before trial, and these things take time," according to a lawyer for the sugar makers, W. Mark Lanier.
In a joint statement, the groups said they "continue their commitments to practices that encourage safe and healthful use of their products, including moderation in the consumption of table sugar, high fructose corn syrup and other sweeteners."
The sugar growers wanted more than $1 billion in damages, while the corn refiners wanted $530 million.
The timing comes during a period of a decrease in sweetener interest, especially for corn syrup as the U.S. is worried about obesity rates and diabetes.
U.S. corn sweetener consumption dipped to 60.7 pounds per American in 2014 (it was 85.3 pounds in 1999) with sugar consumption rising to 68.4 pounds, from 66.4 pounds in 1999.