The sugar industry grows, processes, refines, transports, buys and sells sugar worldwide. Sugar cane and sugar beets are grown in wetlands and tropical climates, and major producers include the US, China, India, and Brazil. The industry collects raw sugar and transports it to refining plants, where it is turned into various forms. The sugar industry controls the amount of sugar transported based on factors such as availability and costs. Sugar consumption has increased significantly since the 1980s, with teenagers being the largest consumers.
The sugar industry refers to the industry that grows, processes, refines, transports, buys and sells sugar worldwide. Sugar has been an important staple of the human diet since 300 BC when Alexander the Great brought it back to the civilized world via trade routes from Asia to Europe, via India and the Middle East. This industry is a thriving market that is driven by humanity’s need for sweet foods and beverages consumed at ever-increasing rates.
Sugar cane and sugar beets, the raw forms of refined sugar, are grown around the world in regions where there are wetlands and tropical climates. Wherever sugar is grown, thousands of acres of plants cover large areas of land. Major sugar-producing countries include the United States (US), China, India, and Brazil.
The sugar industry collects the raw sugar product and transports it to refining plants. Sugar refineries and mills reduce sugar cane into various forms, such as raw sugar, sugar granules or icing sugar. Sometimes refining plants also process raw sugar into brown sugar, molasses, syrups and liquid sugars. These products are then shipped to other companies through the sugar industry to make food and products for humans to consume.
Just like other industries that sell products that are in high demand by consumers, the sugar industry controls the amount of sugar to be transported to other regions. Factors such as availability of sugar products due to growing seasons, transportation and fuel costs, taxes, and other international trade costs can all play a role in the costs of buying and selling sugar.
In many of the world’s more developed countries, sugar is consumed at the rate of 20-30 teaspoons or more per day, with teenagers making up the largest number of consumers consuming sugar each day. In partnership with the sugar industry, studies from the US Food and Drug Administration indicate that consumption of sugar products and sweeteners has increased significantly since the 1980s.
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