People often take in information without thinking about what it means or how valid it is. People also tend to consume foods and drinks without thinking about where they come from or how they were produced. The well-known saying “don't believe everything you see and hear” is something people should consider more often when thinking about food production and consumption in America. The American public is misinformed on many topics regarding the food industry. This can be compared to the message that the book Lies My Teacher Told Me, by James Loewen, conveys about how the public is deceived about the story. One specific food lie is how the Corn Refiners Association wants the public to believe that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is the same as sugar and is perfectly healthy for consumption. As some research suggests, this is an incorrect dietary assumption. Patriotic textbooks “leave out anything that might reflect negatively on [them]” (Loewen 5). Loewen argues that “if textbooks allowed for controversy, they could show students which claims are based on strong evidence and which are on softer ground” (Loewen 39). Textbooks want to be correct for the sake of more simplistic information retention for students. Loewen says this was “easier” (Loewen 41). This ideology is the same for the food industry. They want to be right to make a profit while keeping customers calm and happy. This is what is easiest for them. If consumers saw products with a warning or caution label, they might think twice before purchasing that product and trust that company. As for HFCS, why would manufacturers want to disclose that “when higher percentages of fructose are consumed, the liver becomes overworked and produces excessive levels of uric…half of paper…a Eurocentric view that ignores imperfections and hides less savory truths. Both of these cases show how the public is deceived about food and history. It takes a spark of curiosity, passion and enlightenment to dig into the depths of truth. It's not an easy thing to do, but it's something that Americans could benefit from in their daily lives if they questioned more what seemed to be true. Works Cited Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2007. Print.Parker, Hilary. “Sweet Trouble: Princeton Researchers Find High-Fructose Corn Syrup Causes Significantly More Weight Gain.” News at Princeton University. Princeton University, March 22, 2010. Web. November 16, 2011. Porter, Mary. “High Fructose Corn Syrup: Really the Same as Sugar?” FortHuntPatch. PatchNetwork, November 7, 2011. Web. November 16. 2011.