INTHEBLACK October/November 2024 - Magazine - Page 46
F E AT U R E
“From our perspective and that of the farmers, we’re proud of our product. We think that
in a healthy diet, there is no doubt that people can consume sugar safely. Our position as an
industry is to not hide from it, to recognise there’s an issue and to talk to advocates about it.”
DAN GALLIGAN, CEO CANEGROWERS
public awareness of the negative health
effects of high sugar consumption –
justifiably so, Viljoen says, because sugar
has been directly linked to higher incidences
of obesity.
In a new report indicating that 85
jurisdictions around the world have imposed
taxes on sugar-sweetened drinks, the
Australian Medical Association has renewed
calls for Australia to follow suit, noting that
Australians drink at least 2.4 billion litres
of sugary drinks every year, or “enough to
fill 960 Olympic-sized swimming pools”.
Sugar consumption projections from the
Organisation of Economic Co-operation
and Development (OECD) estimate that
per capita consumption of sugar across the
globe in 2020–2022 was 21.7 kilograms.
In comparison, Australian consumption
was 42 kilograms per capita for the
same period – higher than the US (30.8
kilograms), the UK (22.5 kilograms),
Mainland China (10.4 kilograms), India
(18.9 kilograms), Vietnam (22 kilograms)
and New Zealand (40.6 kilograms).
Rather than brushing aside such concerns,
Galligan says the sugar industry has
adopted the stance that there is “clearly an
obesity challenge in Australia” and a need
for informed consumer knowledge around
consuming sugar in moderation as part of
a nutritious and healthy diet.
“From our perspective and that of the
farmers, we’re proud of our product,” he says.
“We think that in a healthy diet, there is no
doubt that people can consume sugar safely.
Our position as an industry is to not hide
from it, to recognise there’s an issue and to
talk to advocates about it.”
At the same time, Canegrowers opposes
a tax on sugar on the grounds that it would
be “unfair” and make a scapegoat of sugar
SNAPSHOT: SUGAR ALTERNATIVES
ARTIFICIAL
NATURAL
Aspartame
• Discovered in 1965
• Marketed under various names, including
NutraSweet and Equal
• About 200 times sweeter than white sugar
Stevia
• Derived from the plant of the same name
• Native to South America
• First commercialised in the 1970s
• Sold as Truvia and various other brands
• About 300 times sweeter than sugar
Saccharin
• First used in the 1800s
• Commonly marked as Sweet’N Low
• Up to 700 times sweeter than sugar
High fructose corn syrup
• First commercialised in the 1960s
• Made from corn syrup and comprises about
55% fructose
• Not widely used in Australia or New Zealand
46 INTHEBLACK October/November 2024
Monk fruit
• A melon-like plant
• Used for centuries in Eastern medicine
• 100–250 times sweeter than sugar
Allulose
• First identified in wheat leaves
• Commercialised since 2015
• Has a similar “mouth feel” to traditional sugar
