consumer

Sugar more popular than artificial sweeteners

The annual production of sugar exceeds 168,000 metric tons, roughly two-thirds of which is for domestic consumption.

The Costa Rican sugar authority says that sugar is a natural and healthy food and should be part of everyone's diet.

LA PRENSA

Raw: A dump truck unloading sugar at the port of Punta Morales, in Costa Rica. 1006580

With so many scientific and health organizations warning people about the hazards of eating sugar---it can cause obesity, tooth decay, diabetes, cardiovascular and other problems---it's no wonder artificial sweeteners such as Splenda, Equal and Nutra Sweet, are gaining ground in supermarkets and on family tables.

In 2007, imports of these products reached a volume of over 1.5 million units, reported Reinaldo Viveros, director of the Verificación de Alimentos Importados de la Autoridad Panameña de Seguridad de Alimentos. In 2008, the volume has already reached 397,000 units.

And though people may be turning to more natural sweeteners extracted from plants such as stevia, with its extracts having up to 300 times the sweetness of sugar and many fewer calories, this has had little affect on the domestic consumption of traditional sugar derived from cane.

"No one has done a study, but the global consumption of these products is very small, and it's the same in Panama," explained Anel Flores, the president of the Asociación Azucarera y Alcohol de Panamá.

Sugar consumption in the country continues to grow between two and three percent each year, in tandem with country's population growth, Flores noted, despite problems within the industry.

"There are shortages of manpower for the harvest, because the laborers prefer more permanent crops and because of the growth in the construction industry, which pays better wages." Also, the cost of fuel and fertilizers have risen.

The local production of sugar exceeds 168,000 metric tons, of which roughly 68 percent or 115,000 tons are for domestic consumption. In Costa Rica, the Liga Agrícola Industrial de la Caña de Azúcar (Laica), which includes producers and refineries, says that "sugar is a natural and healthy food that should be a part of everyone's diet." Sugar provides glucose for the brain, retina and red blood cells.

However, Laica says that sugar consumption should be limited in order to prevent health problems.