Christine Gray wrote:

>Mike again: 2.  "Sugar is not dangerous to eat (excluding obesity risk which
>is not the point of the discussion).  Throwing around the word
>"contamination" in the context of sugar in my honey strikes me as
>irresponsible.  "Contamination" is an emotionally laden word with very
>strong connotations of toxicity and danger.  Please find a different word."
>
>Again, this is potentially dangerously misleading.  Sugar IS dangerous to
>eat, in quantity, because the human body is not adapted to its conversion,
>and diabetes can and is resulting.
>
Let us be specific - the consumption of sugar does not cause diabetes.
This is an old wives tale.  Massive over-consumption of calories (of
which sugar is often a significant componant - though not the only one)
and a reduction of caloric expendatures (mordern living for the average
American) can lead to obesity.  Obesity can lead, especially in those
genetically predisposed, to NID diabetes.   The simple act of eating
sucrose does not.  Moderation, it is all about moderation.  Sucrose is
not evil.  If you eat to many calories from eating honey - you run the
same risk.

Why is sugar singled out?  Two reasons - big companiues own sugar
factories, and make easy targets for the disenchanted.  More importantly
- it is everywhere, and in everything, at least in the US. (OK everwhere
and everything are absolutes - but it is remarkably abundant)  You have
to try really hard to avoid the stuff.  If honey replaced it at the same
levels of consumption on a per calorie basis - nothing would change in
terms of diabetes and obesity.

Type the following into Google.com "does eating sugar cause diabetes"
There is a plethera of websites that will fill you in o the details -
and I am not talking about the websites of the sugar industry.

>  Honey does not cause diabetes (so I
>believe), as the % sucrose is tiny.
>
The fact that honey does not cause diabetes has little if anything to do
with the % of sucrose contained within.

> But what matters is not  my belief
>but consumers' perceptions.
>
Bingo - and I agree - the instant honey is perceived by the general
consumer as no longer a special product and simply seem as just another
sweetener (which I do not necessarily disagree with) with interesting
floral and regional differences, they will expect it to be priced more
in line with other sweeteners, i.e. lower.

Keith

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