Raw Sugar

Raw sugar comes only from sugar cane, not beets. It is not completely purified - only 97 to 99 percent pure - and contains natural contaminants such as soil, insect parts, yeast, molds, waxes, and lint. The sale of raw sugar to the public has been banned by the FDA because of these contaminants.

Turbinado Sugar

Turbinado sugar is raw sugar that has been centrifuged and purified with steam. It is sometimes labeled “raw sugar”, although it is not truly raw. Its granulated crystals have a light amber color. Read more »

Sucrose, or table sugar, is derived from either sugar cane or sugar beets. Sugar cane has been used as a source of sugar for centuries. It first grew in India, where it is still a major crop. Sugar beets are a more recent addition, a German scientist having first extracted sugar from this plant in 1794. Today, sugar cane provides about 60 percent of the sugar consumed in the United States; white sugar beets, a relative of the red beet commonly eaten as a vegetable, provide the rest. Read more »