Question regarding Sugar.

[Mind_your_head]

I saw at the store a 4 lb. bag of "store brand" granulated sugar on sale for $1.99/bag. When I look at the ingredients all it says is "sugar".

A short distance away is a 4 lb. bag of Pure Cane Sugar for $2.99/bag.

Am I to conclude that granulated sugar is not all necessarily 'cane sugar'? And if it's not 'cane sugar', what is its source? I have heard about beet sugar, but I don't understand/know the difference between beet and cane sugar, if there is much difference.

A 33% increase in price would seem to indicate that there IS some difference between the two bags, but maybe it is just 'marketing'? :shrug:

Any insight/help would be appreciated/welcome.

TIA,
M_Y_H

[EFerrari]

1. Beet sugar is always cheaper but I'm sorry, I don't remember why any more.

[Denninmi]

2. Beet sugar is cheaper because the US has a tarriff on Cane sugar.

We don't produce enough sugar cane in the US, due to climate limitations, for our needs. And, for protectionist reasons, the US has a longstanding, fairly steep tarriff on imported cane sugar.

So, the majority of sugar sold in the US, particular in the northern states away from cane production centers of FL, LA, TX, and CA, is beet sugar.

However, there is absolutely no difference between the two in quality, taste, flavor, etc.

Both are sucrose so highly purified that they are indistinguishable for all intents and purposes to the average person. I'm sure someone properly trained, an expert in the subject, could probably give technical explainations as to how to tell them apart. But you probably couldn't do it without fairly sophisticated equipment.

I say, buy what is cheapest and on sale.

[EFerrari]

3. Thanks.

[housewolf]

4. Here's a very informative article on the subject

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1999/03/31/FD91867.DTL

The article discusses the differences in beet & cane sugar, and reports on baking and taste tests run to compare the differences. It talks about a bakery needing to scrap their entire day's baked products due to a supplier delivering beet rather than cane sugar because of differences in the way the beet sugar reacted in their bakery, reports that the differences are greater in in brown sugar than white and tests sugar carmelization of creme brulee using both types of white sugar (hint: the beet sugar burned and wouldn't carmelize properly), also differences in cake texture.

It's interesting... it opened my eyes. I always buy C&H cane sugar even though it costs a little more. I recently bought a 25# bag at Costco after reading the comments here about the price of sugar increasing. That will last me a while!

[Mind_your_head]

5. Thanks for that information. Very helpful/interesting!

:hi:

[hippywife]

8. Good info.

I've been moving away from using as much white sugar, so I've taken the step of buying fair trade vegan white sugar. Will be doing the same with brown sugar, too. I know I always seem to find the political in food, but in my mind, it's important that I support people who need the living and allow me to enjoy the bounty of my kitchen. The extra paid means more to them than it does to me.

:hi:

[katkat]

9. vegan

If you care about vegan stuff you will want to avoid sugars processed with bone char.

[grasswire]

6. isn't some beet sugar from GM beets?

I remember reading something about that not too long ago but am too lazy to google it right now. That was the reason to buy cane sugar.

[elleng]

7. I always buy the less expensive brand, salt, sugar, etc.

Never noticed a difference.