A recent study by Mintel Research Consultancy revealed that more shoppers are likely to avoid foods with added sweeteners than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

A quarter of the respondents said they were looking for "sugar or added sugar" when reading package labels for information. By contrast, only 3 percent indicated that they were looking for HFCS. In the same question, 38 percent of consumers read labels for fats and oils, and 37 percent read for calories.

The study also found that 17 percent of consumers were trying to avoid "sugar or added sugar," as opposed to only 4 percent who indicated that they were looking to avoid HFCS. At the same time, 37 percent of consumers indicated that they were avoiding calories, and 20 percent were avoiding fats and oils.

For the survey, Mintel interviewed 2,005 primary household grocery shoppers in April 2011.