In the News

“Only 30% of U.S. consumers know sugar comes from plants, which indicates both the challenge and opportunity facing the U.S. sugar industry,” Courtney Gaine, President and CEO of the Sugar Association said at the International Sugarbeet Institute.

“Consumers overall are increasingly interested in so-called “clean-eating,” Gaine said. “Consumers want to know what the ingredients in their food are…

“Nancy Pelosi famously eats dark chocolate ice cream for breakfast. Courtney Gaine ’00 (CAHNR), ’05 Ph.D. has no quibble with that; she sometimes breaks her fast with a candy bar. “It’s always been okay to enjoy sugar in moderation,” she says.

Although not widely talked about by the media, a significant dietary trend has been taking place. Over the past 20 years, added sugars consumption has been on a steep decline. In terms of teaspoons, added sugars intake has decreased by nearly 25 percent since 2000, dropping from 21 to 16.1 teaspoons per day.

Laura Rutherford, sugarbeet grower and writer, interviewed Maria Scott, Senior Director of Scientific Affairs at the Sugar Association, to hear more about her background and the work the Sugar Association is doing.

Whether you’re one of the 80 percent of consumers who claim they at least sometimes use it, or the 20 percent that don’t, we are all familiar with the Nutrition Facts Label found on the back of foods and beverages. After nearly 25 years, the Food and Drug Administration …

If the term “added sugars” seemed to come out of nowhere and explode into the nutrition dialogue, it’s because it kind of did. And, if you’re not quite sure what “added sugars” means, you’re not alone. While the term has been used in policy speak for decades to …