Sugar growers amend HFCS lawsuit

(Food Business News) – LOS ANGELES — Sugar cane and sugar beet growers on Nov. 18 filed an amended complaint in a lawsuit that claims a Corn Refiners Association campaign for high-fructose corn syrup is false and misleading. The amended complaint filed in a U.S. district court in Los Angeles claims member companies of the C.R.A. conspired to exercise their collective right and actual power to control the C.R.A. as their agent.

The amended complaint said Archer Daniels Midland Co., Corn Products International, Inc. and other member companies have repeated, endorsed and ratified the messaging of the advertising campaign in direct communication to customers.

The lawsuit originally was filed April 22 by the Western Sugar Cooperative in Colorado, Michigan Sugar Co. and C&G Sugar Co. The C.R.A. has disagreed with the claim that the C.R.A.’s campaign is deceptive