Corn syrup
Corn syrup is a syrup made from maize, composed mainly of fructose. It is used to sweeten soft drinks, juices, ice cream, and many other mass-produced foods. It's liquid form keeps foods moist and prevents them from quickly spoiling. In many areas it is less expensive than sugar due to the agricultural policy, e.g. the United States subsidizes its production while taxing sugar imports, which mainly come from Cuba and other nations.
A variety of corn syrup called high fructose corn syrup is often used to economically improve the flavor of food without increasing costs. The sweetness of high fructose corn syrup masks bitter or otherwise undesirable tastes, allowing companies to use ingredients of substandard quality (i.e. not fresh). This is somewhat similar to historical uses for black pepper.
Corn syrup has been proven to have a direct link to the increasing risk of diabeties in America, as well a host of other health issues, primarily due to the way the body processes it. Corn syrup requires the use of insulin to process it, and over time this reduces the body's insulin to dangerous levels. When the body's insulin level decreases or begins to not produce insulin at all, it becomes harder to digest simple sugars, which leads to diabetes and type II diabetes (where the body cannot produce insulin at all).
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