The Price Of Sugar

[barry1010]

The price of sugar has rocketed and has not come back down. Can anyone shed any light on what might be the reason? I am referring specifically to standard white granulated sugar. It had been around the 60p a kilo price then shot up to around £1 plus.

I only buy beet sugar which has been grown and produced in the UK so it can't be related to import costs. I notice that cane sugar is the same price.

I don't think it is supermarket profiteering. If a major supermarket could sell it significantly cheaper than the competition I think they would and advertise the fact.

[DTCwordfan]

a lot of energy used in refining white sugar.... Blame Lincolnshire and Norfolk where the major plants are

[vulcan42]

The process of extracting sugar from beet involves boiling water, I guess increased fuel costs have added to the price.

[rowanwitch]

I don't think anyone will intervene either, reducing sugar intake is one of the major targets of the national public health strategy. I would expect the charges on sugary drinks will be expanded to all forms of sugar within a few more years.

[barry1010]

We shall see if the price comes down now energy prices are dropping.
My oldsters have high sugar diets as advised by their doctors.

[Old_Geezer]

Would that be the doctors trying to bump them off ? Don't worry, even though you're at death's door, we'll pull you through.

[naomi24]

//My oldsters have high sugar diets as advised by their doctors. //

Why?

I can't remember the last time I bought sugar. Probably a few years ago when we had builders in the house.

[Atheist]

We neverr buy sugar, and rarely buy salt. We get by on the little sachets that come with a cup of coffee, and similar salt sachets.
Our DIL buys salt in sacks and chucks a handful into her veg water, then leaves veg to boil on full flame with no lid on the pan. Oh dear.

[barry1010]

naomi, they have very low body fat, have very little appetite and feel the cold.

They haven't got diabetes nor any teeth to worry about it. Better that they eat the sweet food and drink they enjoy than nothing. We do make sure they get their protein and vegetables, too.

[barry1010]

Atheist, I can't remember the last time I consumed sugar. I don't eat sweets, chocolates, biscuits or cake I don't put sugar on my daily porridge nor in my drinks.

[rowanwitch]

I probably buy a pack of white sugar every couple of years, salt less than that but I do buy muscovado sugar every year when I make my Christmas cakes, which reminds me, need to start collecting ingredients as I normally make them in early October to give plenty of 'feeding' time

[naomi24]

Thanks barry. I'm surprised though. I've never heard of a doctor advising a high sugar diet.

[vulcan42]

naomi, I have a friend who swears this is true. During the late forties her mother was recommended by her doctor to start smoking. I must find out what was actually wrong with her but she did start and continued for the rest of her life which ended in her nineties.
apologies to barry1010 for going off topic.

[naomi24]

I believe that, Vulcan. Someone told me that years ago they were advised by their doctor not to stop smoking. He said it kept the congestion on their chest loose.

[barry1010]

Vulcan, I have heard the same with doctors telling their patients it would help with their 'nerves' or the chest complaint.
My grandmother was recommended by her doctor to drink stout every day when she was first pregnant as the iron would do her good. She used to put a hot poker in to it as she believed that would add more iron to the drink.
She drank a bottle of stout every evening for the rest of the life - Mackeson's

[naomi24]

barry, hospitals used to give stout to patients who 'needed building up',

[10ClarionSt]

Cane sugar is sweeter than beet sugar. It just is. You can compare the two by tasting Silver Spoon, which is beet sugar, then by tasting Tate & Lyle, which is cane sugar.

I seem to recall that beet sugar was hardly used in this country until the 70s', when, if anyone remembers, there was a "sugar shortage", which was an absolute load of cobblers. I worked in a food warehouse and there were never any shortages of sugar. However, this brought forward the idea that with beet sugar we could grow our own in this country and thereby help the economy and produce a much cheaper product. Where have we heard that scenario before? North Sea oil and gas perhaps?

[pastafreak]

Barry, your oldsters might be better off with a higher fat diet...healthy fats obviously.

[barry1010]

They have fats, too :)

[douglas9401]

You don't seem to have a proper handle on how UK supermarkets work, barry, a few dozen discounted items per company and the rest pretty much all the same price-wise.

See also supermarket petrol prices.

[barry1010]

10C, I can't agree that cane is sweeter than beet. I use to take a lot of sugar in my drinks and couldn't tell the difference. Most people don't notice what type of sugar they are consuming and catering establishments don't have a preference.

Nobody has ever asked me for more sugar in their drinks when they visit, even those that wouldn't hesitate to get up and help themselves.