Sugar
Another water intensive crop, it takes approximately 30 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of sugar from sugarcane. In addition, it is common practice to burn cane fields before harvesting in order to remove unwanted leafy detritus and improve yield – however, the air pollutants and emissions caused by open field burning is a source of concern for the health of surrounding communities.
Sugar Bio
- Type: Ingredient & Sweetener
- Country of Origin: India, South & Southeast Asia
- Energy Use Factor: Medium
- Source Location: Florida, California, Hawaii, Caribbean, Brazil, & other Sub-Tropical Climates.
Sustainability Issues
- Sugarcane & sugar beets can produce ethanol for bio-fuel.
- Burning of sugarcane crops prior to harvest may produce harmful emissions.
- Environmental effects of growing sugarcane in some regions.
Where did Phil’s sugar actually come from?
Sugarcane is grown in over 110 countries. Brazil and India are the major leaders in world production, producing about 50% of the world’s supply. The sugarcane farm in our show is located south of Lake Okeechobee in Florida. We then followed the harvest to the Domino Sugar processing plant in Baltimore, Maryland, which also provides Café Hon with their cane sweetener.
We filmed the sugarcane harvest at US Sugar fields located at the southern tip of Lake Okeechobee in Florida. We then took the cameras to the Domino Sugar plant in Baltimore, MD for the refining process. Domino Sugar also sweetens Café Hon coffee.
View Sugarcane Filming and Hon Locations in a larger map
Image Source: Wikipedia
