By Ali Swietek, Manager, Meetings and Education

Most people have never seen a sugar beet or a sugar cane stalk and even fewer have seen the crops harvested from the fields and transported to mills or processing plants. We know that the process of how sugar gets from the field to the pantry is a big black box for consumers. There are so many questions to be answered – whether they’re about farm to table, why sugar is so frequently used in cooking and baking, or how our bodies handle sugar – consumers want to be connected to their foods, including sugar.

The Sugar Association exhibits at conferences for educators and health professionals with one goal in mind – sharing our knowledge. As a scientific organization, our priority is to provide clear information about things like how sugar is processed and to share the available research on sugar in a way that can be understood by everyone. After all, not everyone has a PhD in Nutrition Science! What we’ve learned over the years is that most people are surprised by the facts!

At our exhibits, we offer educational materials that break down the facts in a simple and visually compelling way for the average consumer to enjoy. Some of our materials include infographics that show the process that takes sugar from the plant to the product, charts that highlight the functional role sugar plays in food and a variety of fact sheets on topics like portion control, current sugar consumption and more. Attendees always enjoy our map indicating areas in the U.S. where sugar beets and sugar cane are grown and refined. We love when they share stories of growing up near sugar cane farms or pointing out where in “beet country” they live. Our most popular brochure is “One Tooth”, designed for teaching children about healthy oral hygiene habits! Many of our materials are available in Spanish as well. For health professionals, we have materials that dig a little deeper into the science on sugar.

While we place a heavy emphasis on sharing our knowledge, we often find that simply by opening the door for dialogue, booth visitors bring us valuable information and ideas for new materials. Health professionals, scientists and educators often stop by our booth to discuss the latest findings of their research and projects or share a story about a cooking lab that teaches about sugar’s function in foods. It challenges us to remain vigilant in keeping the most important and up-to-date information on our radar and ultimately allows us to develop the most comprehensive educational materials for you!

Not able to make it to a conference? Don’t worry! All of the materials offered at exhibits are available free of charge on our resources page. You can easily download them from our resources section or fill out an order form for physical copies.