National Real Sugar Day

Real Sugar comes from plants!

As the gold standard for sweetness, real sugar is worth celebrating! The real sugar we stock in our pantry and use in many of our favorite recipes is grown by sugar beet and sugar cane farmers across the United States. National Real Sugar Day is a day to celebrate the people who harvest sugar crops, learn about sugar’s role in our food and in a balanced diet, and make and enjoy food made with real sugar.

In a March 2021 survey, U.S. consumers listed sugar most frequently when asked to name any ingredients that come to mind that make food or beverages enjoyable to eat or drink. Real sugar has been a part of our diets for thousands of years, and in addition to sweetness, there is so much to share about the many functions sugar has in food.

Sugar is a versatile and irreplaceable functional ingredient in food. Without sugar, ice cream wouldn’t be so creamy, crackers wouldn’t be as crispy, and breads wouldn’t be so light and airy. Sugar is also used to balance acidity, add bulk, or prevent spoilage. Additionally, sugar is used in the production of medication, to make bioplastics for planes, and can extend the life of your fresh cut flowers. With all these valuable functions, sugar can’t simply be replaced by another single ingredient.

How to celebrate National Real Sugar Day

• Bake or cook something with #RealSugar to share with family, friends, and online.
• Share images of sugar beet or sugar cane harvest online with #RealSugar.
• Pose with your favorite type of real sugar or sugar-containing food and post to social media.
• Share real sugar-containing recipes online.
• Share stories of where real sugar comes from by posting images of sugar beets and sugar cane.
• Share images and stories of the farmers who grow real sugar.
• Teach your class about where real sugar comes from with our National Real Sugar Day lesson plan.

Live from the Sugar Fields on Facebook Live on October 14!

Sugar beet and sugar cane growers are going live from the field during harvest season to celebrate National Real Sugar Day. Join us on Facebook starting at 9 am EDT on October 14 to hear from growers coast to coast and get a behind the scenes look at how Real Sugar gets from farm to table.

• 9:00 am  –  Courtney Gaine, Ph.D., RD, Sugar Association President & CEO
• 9:30 am  –  Paul Allen, RC Hatton Farms, Pahokee, FL  |  Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida
• 10:00 am  –  Gene Adolph, Adolph Farms, Napoleonville, LA  |  American Sugar Cane League
• 10:30 am  –  Jeremy Tischer, 3rd generation grower, Breckenride, MN  |  Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative
• 11:00 am  –  Neil Rockstad, Ada, MN  |  American Crystal Sugar Company
• 12:00 pm  –  Ben Jantz, Jantz Farms, Nampa, ID  |  Snake River Sugarbeet Growers Association
• 1:00 pm  –  Florida Grower  |  Sugar Cane Growers Cooperative of Florida
• 2:00 pm  –  Chad Larson, East Grand Forks, MN  |  American Crystal Sugar Company
• 3:00 pm  –  Jacob Bullinger, John Bullinger & Sons, Otto, WY  |  Wyoming Sugar Company
• 4:00 pm  –  Jake Maurer, Maple Grove Acres, Ruth, MI  |  Michigan Sugar Company
• 4:30 pm  –  Juan Segura, Juan Segura Farms, New Iberia, LA  |  American Sugar Cane League
• 5:00 pm  –  John McCreedy, The Amalgamated Sugar Company President and CEO, Boise, ID

National Real Sugar Day Lesson Plan

Celebrate National Real Sugar Day in the classroom with a custom lesson plan for grades 9-12 that teaches the origins of real sugar, where real sugar is grown, and how it functions in our diets and cooking. Includes a recipe to make to celebrate National Real Sugar Day on October 14!

Download lesson plan

Use #NationalRealSugarDay and tag @moretosugar when sharing on social media. Follow us on social media to get updates on ways you can celebrate with us.

The Sugar Association is comprised of 14 member companies that proudly grow, extract, and deliver the real sugar the American public uses every day. Today in the United States, the sugar industry is comprised of 11,000 beet and cane farmers who produce about 9 million tons of sugar each year. The industry creates more than 151,000 jobs in more than 24 states, adding $23.3 billion to the U.S. economy. Real sugar grows from coast to coast and border to border of the United States!