I am learning new things about the things we eat and feed our families on a daily basis - I love what I am discovering. Although some things shock me, I feel that the information gives me the power to make informed decisions as a mom, wife, and consumer. Recently, I found out a few facts about white sugar that were previously unknown to me and have a “yuck” factor.
While researching an unrelated subject, I discovered that many types of white table sugar are filtered with bone char. Bone char is charcoal made from animal bones, usually from cows. Yuck! It is used to remove the molasses or brown color from sugar, thereby making it white in color. Although I am not a vegan or vegetarian, I was surprised and slightly disgusted by this information.
Now – not all white sugar is filtered through bone char. A little background information may be helpful for many people. Most of the white sugar that is purchased from the grocery store falls in two categories: beet sugar or pure cane sugar. They may taste and look like the same product, but the two are processed in different ways. In most cases, beet sugar is filtered through bone char, while pure sugar cane is filtered using other techniques.
For people who want to avoid all processed sugars, there are many options. Pure maple syrup, light agave syrup, and brown rice syrup can all be used as sweeteners. Pure cane sugar is also a fine option, from most sugar refineries. Pure cane sugar can be found in liquid form, too. Some specialty grocery stores offer vegan sugar – although it can be expensive it does avoid the bone char filtration process, as well.
