December 9, 2020
“Dr. Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, asserts that this study highlights a significant issue that needs to be addressed by the industry: sugar replacement. “The use of artificial and low- and no-calorie sweeteners in food and beverages has surged more than 300 percent in the last five years,” she states. However, Gaine is concerned that the impact of reducing sugar on the food supply has not been adequately studied and modeled. “Sugar can’t easily be removed or reduced from products because one to several ingredients are needed to replace it and replicate its taste profile and functionality. So, the short- and long-term effects of the added sugars labeling requirement in the US is entirely unknown.” Ultimately, reduced sugar doesn’t necessarily mean reduced calories, Gaine emphasizes. “Many times, it has the opposite effect. We need to stop and think: ‘What is the goal of reducing added sugars?’ and if there is an agreed-upon goal, ‘What is the best way to get there?’”
Read the full article at: https://www.nutritioninsight.com/news/sweetener-safety-in-spotlight-after-study-links-stevia-to-gut-microbial-imbalance.html

February 25, 2026
Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, which represents the industry on scientific matters, said at the International Sweetener Colloquium. “It is really easy to regulate sugar. You can get easy wins for sugar,” Gaine said as she others discussed the impact of the MAHA movement. “The narrative is: The government and food […]

February 20, 2026
Courtney Gaine, president and CEO of the Sugar Association, a scientific body which 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 significantly restrict them in other grades. That change alone would cut sugar demand by over […]

January 10, 2026
The health secretary’s new dietary guidelines tell parents to cut the added sugar until their kids turn 11. “Misleading rhetoric “declaring war” on and creating unsubstantiated fear about a real ingredient like real sugar will not improve children’s health,” said Courtney Gaine, the association’s president and CEO, in a statement. “Real sugar — which comes […]
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