CHAMPAIGN, IL - U.S. sales of high fructose corn syrup, the ubiquitous sweetener added to soft drinks, cereals, and other products, are on the decline, the Associated Press reports.

From 2003 to 2008, sales of HFC dropped 11 percent, as some companies have stopped using it in their popular products, including Hunt's ketchup, Snapple, Gatorade, and Starbucks' baked goods.

Food manufacturers blame the decline on campaigns that allege HFC is responsible for the obesity epidemic as well as a strategic effort by the sugar industry to define itself as the healthier alternative, a move that has helped boost its sales 7 percent during the same period.

As of 2008, HFC makers sold an average of 53.1 pounds a year for every Americans, compared with 65.7 pounds of sugar, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nutritionists generally agree that there's little nutritional difference between high fructose corn syrup and sugar, and that people digest them in the same way.