Obesity and related diseases are serious. Nobody, particularly our members who grow and process sugar across the country, discounts that.
But, despite many of the assertions made in “Everything that’s bad for you has been restricted, vilified or outlawed. What does this mean for candy?” [Washington Post Magazine, Oct. 26], the only “war” sugar may have to wage is against media hysteria that drives consumer misinformation.
For the record:
• Agriculture Department data show that U.S. per-capita consumption of real sugar (sucrose) is 34 percent lower now than it was 40 years ago, while over the same period obesity and other metabolic diseases started to rise.
• More than 90 percent of the caloric sweetener supplied for beverages in the United States is high-fructose corn syrup, not sucrose, so zero grams of sugar were in the 12-ounce Coke referenced .
• Diabetes is not caused by consuming carbohydrates. The American Diabetes Association advises diabetics that sugar may be included in their diets provided that it is counted as part of their daily carbohydrate allowance.
Sugar in moderation can be part of a balanced, healthful diet and lifestyle and has been for thousands of years. And that’s a fact.
Andy Briscoe, Washington
The writer is president and chief executive of the Sugar Association.
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."
March 3, 2026
"Gaine added, "There is no data to support all this." She said the focus on added sugar is often politically motivated, but food groups have not pushed back on the MAHA pressure. There is a lot of fear of retaliation, and for good reason they have not wanted to push back publicly," Gaine said. "I think it’s going to demand a coordinated, really coordinated, pushing back. Any effort up (until) now has been to go along to get along, and I don’t know if that’s going to work."
© 2026 The Sugar Association, Inc. All rights reserved.
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