THE CORN REFINERS ASSOCIATION AND ITS MEMBER COMPANIES TO PRESENT CASE TO A JURY

WASHINGTON, DC – A federal judge in Los Angeles denied motions filed by both sides in the Western Sugar Cooperative, et al. v. Archer-Daniels-Midland Company, et al. litigation, meaning the case will proceed to trial later this year.

The motions filed by the Corn Refiners Association (“CRA”) and its member companies sought summary judgment on the issues of whether the sugar industry plaintiffs can prove that statements in the Corn Refiners’ educational campaign were false, and whether the sugar industry plaintiffs suffered any economic harm as a result of the educational campaign.  The sugar industry plaintiffs’ motion sought summary judgment on the CRA member companies’ counterclaim, which asserts that The Sugar Association has attempted to vilify high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) by falsely advertising that it is different from processed sugar in ways that are meaningful to consumers’ health.

Based upon the parties’ briefs and information in the record, U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo Marshall denied the motions, finding that a jury should hear the claims and defenses at issue in the litigation.

John Bode, president of the CRA, said, “Although we are disappointed the litigation was not resolved in our favor at this time, we now look forward to proving our case at trial, including that The Sugar Association has purposely misled the public to create false health concerns and fear about high fructose corn syrup—all for the purpose of increasing sugar’s market share.  We are also confident that a jury will determine that CRA and its member companies did not make any false statements about high fructose corn syrup during the educational campaign, and the campaign did not cause any economic harm to the sugar industry.”

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 The Corn Refiners Association (CRA) is the national trade association representing the corn refining industry of the United States. CRA and its predecessors have served this important segment of American agribusiness since 1913. Corn refiners manufacture sweeteners, ethanol, starch, bioproducts, corn oil and feed products from corn components such as starch, oil, protein and fiber.