I thought it was "sugar"

Covered Bridge Potato Chip package

Covered Bridge Potato Chip ingredients

Do you know what "organic evaporated cane juice" is? You probably know it under its more common name, "sugar".

So, why does this firm use the phrase "organic evaporated cane juice", when they really mean "sugar"?

Well, I guess that it sounds better. Sugar has got somewhat of a bad reputation recently, especially with the connection between high rates of sugar consumption and high obesity rates. (In the US the maps that shows obesity rates and diabetes rates are very similar. The logical conclusion is that high rates of sugar consumption, combined with low levels of physical exercise, contributes to both diabetes and obesity.)

Will the use of this euphemism really fool anyone? Probably not. People who read the ingredients will probably see through the terminology straight away.

And the people who should be paying attention probably won't even read the content label. Do I think that consumption of sweet and fatty foods leads to health problems? It can, but I think that there are two main issues. 1) How much of this stuff do you consume? and 2) How much exercise do you get?

When I'm doing a long mountain bike race, like the 7-day TransRockies Challenge, I eat a huge amount of sweet and fatty food. But I'm also burning off 6,000 to 8,000 calories per day. You can't eat the diet of a Victorian farm labourer, while living the life of an Elizabethan office worker. (Here endeth the lesson.)