Brownsugarexporter.com
- Bone char, which
is used to process sugar, is made from the bones of cattle from Afghanistan,
Argentina, India, and Pakistan. The bones are sold to traders in Scotland,
Egypt, and Brazil who then sell them back to the U.S. sugar industry. The
European Union and the USDA heavily regulate the use of bone char. Only
countries that are deemed BSE-free can sell the bones of their cattle for this
process. Bone char—often referred to as natural carbon—is widely used by the
sugar industry as a decolorizing filter, which allows the sugar cane to achieve
its desirable white color. Other types of filters involve granular carbon or an
ion-exchange system rather than bone char.
Bone
char is also used in other types of sugar. Brown sugar is created by adding
molasses to refined sugar, so companies that use bone char in the production of
their regular sugar also use it in the production of their brown sugar.
Confectioner’s sugar—refined sugar mixed with cornstarch—made by these
companies also involves the use of bone char. Fructose may, but does not
typically, involve a bone-char filter. Supermarket brands of sugar (e.g.,
Giant, Townhouse, etc.) obtain their sugar from several different refineries,
making it impossible to know whether it has been filtered with bone char.
If
you want to avoid all refined sugars, we recommend alternatives such as Sucanat
and turbinado sugar, which are not filtered with bone char. Additionally, beet
sugar—though normally refined—never involves the use of bone char and Edward
& Sons Trading Company has developed a vegan confectioner’s sugar which
should be available in health food stores soon.
It
would be virtually impossible for PETA to maintain information on the refining
process used for the sugar in every product. We encourage you to contact
companies directly to ask about the source of their sugar. (BD)