This week Food Dive took an in depth look at sugar consumption and sugar’s role in food and beverage products. Along with other scientists in the field, Dr. Courtney Gaine, Sugar Association President and CEO, commented on both the trends in sugar consumption and the unique functional properties of sugar in foods.
“According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Americans consumed 20.8 teaspoons of added sugars and sweeteners per day in 1970. That amount spiked in 2000 to 26 teaspoons, largely due to soda consumption, Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, told Food Dive.”
Today, the average person has about 22.5 teaspoons of added sugars each day.
Click here to read the full Food Dive article including the fact that currently there is no single ingredient that can be substituted for sugar and duplicate all of its functional properties.
April 7, 2026
“In specific guidelines for certain age groups and subpopulations, the new DGA advise to “avoid added sugars during infancy and early childhood” (birth to 4 years) and say “no amount of added sugars is recommended” up to age 11. The DGA provide no evidence to support such extreme recommendations. In fact, the author of the […]
March 22, 2026
"The Feeding the Economy report affirms the vital role food and agriculture play in our nation’s economic resilience and food security. Commercial bakers have long been proud partners to American agriculture, sourcing 85 percent of their core ingredients from domestic farmers....Sponsoring organizations from the food and agriculture industries, who helped make the 2026 study possible, provided commentary on this year’s findings. The full list of sponsoring organizations includes: ...The Sugar Association"
March 10, 2026
"Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, a scientific body that supports the U.S. sugar industry, told the USDA Outlook Forum that the school meal standards taking effect next year might prohibit added sugars in kindergarten meals and could significantly restrict them in other grades. That change alone would cut sugar demand by over 130,000 short tons. The industry faces additional pressure from rising GLP-1 weight-loss drug usage, which jumped from 12% in May 2024 to 18% in November 2025, though Gaine cautioned it remains "premature to assess the impact."
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