Sugar is still sugar, wherever it comes from

Michigan's giant Kellogg Co. breakfast cereal maker has unfairly become the target of a misguided campaign against the first-ever commercial crop this year of genetically modified sugar beets.

Kellogg and other food manufacturers in the U.S. said they intend to use sugar made from the new herbicide-resistant beets to make their food products.

That's because the sugar, the sucrose, from Monsanto's Roundup-ready beets is identical in every way to sucrose from any other sugar beet, or from sugar cane, for that matter.

Despite this change to the plant it comes from, sugar will remain sugar, study after study conducted around the world has concluded. That's confirmed down the molecular level, the sugar industry says.

About half of the beets that Monitor Township-based Michigan Sugar will process beginning this fall are from the brand-new breed of beets. Farmers jumped at the chance to grow them, once food processors agreed to buy the sugar. They don't have to apply as much herbicide to the beet plants, and plucking weeds by hired hands will become a thing of the past.

A potentially cleaner environment, with a bigger paycheck.

Because the sugar from these beets is identical to any other sucrose, opponents of the beets concentrate on the argument that man shouldn't mess with Mother Nature. They fear the modified beets will cross-pollinate with table beets, chard and other closely related plants, especially with organic farmers' produce.

It's a legitimate concern.

But it should not be leveled at the makers of foods that contain sugar, such as Kellogg.
U.S., Canadian, European Union, Japanese and other international food agencies all have approved sugar from modified beets for unrestricted use.

The argument against genetically modified beets should stay in the fields, where it might have some traction.

And out of our breakfast bowls, where we'll be happy to pour a little sugar on it, baby.

source:mlive