Raw Sugar vs Brown Sugar: Processing, Taste, and Uses
Author: Ukrainian Psychological Hub · Published: September 29, 2026 · Editorial Policy
Raw sugar and brown sugar are both sucrose-rich cane sweeteners with brown or golden color, but they are different ingredients. Retail raw-style sugars are usually dry, coarse-crystal sugars such as turbinado or demerara that retain a light film of cane molasses after partial refining. Soft brown sugar is finer, moister, and more molasses-forward; in common U.S. production it is made by combining refined sugar crystals with cane molasses, although brown sugars around the world are produced by more than one route.
That difference matters more in the kitchen than it does nutritionally. Raw sugar is useful when you want visible crystals, crunch, a mild caramel or cane note, and a drier ingredient. Brown sugar is useful when you want moisture retention, a soft texture, deeper molasses aroma, darker color, and the chewy or tender qualities it can contribute to baked goods. They can sometimes substitute for one another, but a cup-for-cup swap can change dissolution, spread, texture, flavor, and appearance.
This article owns the direct “raw sugar vs brown sugar” comparison intent. For the standalone ingredient definitions, see Raw Sugar: What It Is, Types, Taste, and Uses and Brown Sugar: What It Is, Types, Molasses, Taste, and Uses.
Quick answer: raw sugar vs brown sugar
Raw sugar, in ordinary retail use, usually means a partially refined cane sugar with large, dry, golden crystals and a light molasses or caramel character.
Brown sugar usually means a soft, fine-grained, moist sugar with more obvious molasses aroma and flavor; light and dark brown sugar differ mainly in the intensity of that molasses character.
Raw sugar is generally drier and coarser. Brown sugar is generally softer, finer, more hygroscopic, and easier to pack.
Raw sugar is often better for crunchy toppings, finishing, and sweetening drinks when a coarse crystal is acceptable. Brown sugar is often better for cookies, cakes, quick breads, sauces, glazes, and recipes that rely on moisture and molasses flavor.
They are not nutritionally different enough to justify choosing one as a health food. Both are concentrated sugar sweeteners and count as added sugar when used as sweeteners.
Substitution is recipe-dependent. In a liquid, sauce, or very wet batter, the swap may be forgiving. In dry doughs, cookies, toppings, or recipes designed around packed brown sugar, the difference can be obvious.
Are raw sugar and brown sugar the same thing?
No. Their similar color creates the confusion, but color is only the most visible clue. The central differences are how the sugar is processed, how much molasses-associated material remains or is added, how much moisture the product contains, and the size and surface properties of its crystals.
The Codex Standard for Sugars defines raw cane sugar as partially purified sucrose crystallized from partially purified cane juice, with the crystals covered by a film of cane molasses. The USDA Commercial Item Description places turbinado and demerara in an “other” category distinct from light and dark brown sugar. Its brown-sugar specification describes light and dark brown styles as soft-textured sugars with molasses odor and flavor.
For a shopper, the easiest test is physical. Retail raw sugar usually pours as separate, visibly large crystals. Soft brown sugar compresses, clumps, and holds the shape of a measuring cup because it contains more moisture and a sticky molasses-associated phase.
First, a terminology problem: “raw sugar” has two meanings
The phrase raw sugar is unusually easy to misunderstand. In supermarkets and coffee shops, it commonly refers to edible golden cane sugars such as turbinado or demerara. In industrial sugar processing, “raw sugar” can mean a refinery intermediate that is not the same product as the consumer packet on the table.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Compliance Policy Guide on raw sugar explains that industrial raw sugar generally leaves the mill for further refining and may contain impurities that make it unsuitable for direct human-food use. That regulatory meaning should not be confused with packaged retail products marketed as raw-style cane sugar and produced for consumption.
Within this article, “raw sugar” means edible retail raw-style cane sugar. For the full terminology boundary, use the dedicated Raw Sugar guide. If your package specifically says turbinado or demerara, those are more precise ingredient names; see the standalone Turbinado Sugar and Demerara Sugar pages.
How raw sugar is made
The broad route begins with sugarcane juice. The juice is extracted, clarified to varying degrees, concentrated by evaporation, crystallized, and centrifuged. Centrifugation separates sugar crystals from much of the surrounding syrup or molasses. In retail raw-style sugars, some molasses-associated color and flavor remain on or around the crystals, and the crystals are commonly larger than ordinary granulated sugar.
Codex captures the defining idea: raw cane sugar is partially purified sucrose with a film of cane molasses on the crystals. The degree of purification, crystal size, color, and flavor can vary by product. “Raw” therefore does not mean untouched cane juice, chemically unchanged food, or sugar that has bypassed processing.
For the larger manufacturing sequence from plant to crystal, see How Sugar Is Made: From Plant to Crystal. For the separate question of raw versus fully refined sugar, see Raw Sugar vs Refined Sugar: Processing, Taste, and Nutrition.
How brown sugar is made
Soft brown sugar is also sucrose-rich, but it is formulated or processed to contain a more substantial molasses-associated fraction and more moisture than dry granulated sugar. A common U.S. method starts with refined sugar crystals and blends cane molasses back in. Other brown sugars are made by retaining more syrup during processing, so “brown sugar” is a product category rather than a single universal factory recipe.
The USDA brown-sugar specification distinguishes light and dark styles by color and molasses character and allows substantially more moisture in brown sugar than in ordinary refined granulated sugar. Illinois Extension likewise explains the familiar U.S. pantry version as white sugar with molasses added back and contrasts its soft, moist texture with raw sugar.
That moisture is not a trivial detail. It changes how the sugar feels in the hand, how it packs into a cup, how quickly it forms clumps when exposed to air, and how it distributes water and dissolved sugars through doughs, batters, fillings, and sauces.
Raw sugar vs brown sugar: the differences that matter most
Processing and molasses
Raw-style sugar gets its golden-to-brown color from molasses-associated material that remains after partial refining. Soft brown sugar contains molasses-associated material in a moister matrix and, in common U.S. manufacture, often receives molasses after the sucrose has been more fully refined. The two products can therefore arrive at a similar family of brown colors through different processing histories.
Crystal size
Raw sugar usually has larger, more distinct crystals. Brown sugar has smaller crystals embedded in a moist molasses-rich surface layer. Crystal size affects how quickly the sugar dissolves and how much undissolved crystal texture can remain during mixing or baking.
Moisture
Brown sugar is the wetter ingredient. The USDA commercial description permits a much higher moisture level for light and dark brown sugar than for refined granulated sugar. Retail raw-style sugars are comparatively dry and free-flowing. That is why raw sugar works so well when visible crunch is desirable and why brown sugar is useful when softness and moisture retention matter.
Texture
Raw sugar feels coarse and crystalline. Brown sugar feels soft, sandy, and compressible. Those sensory differences survive into many foods: raw crystals can remain crunchy on the surface of muffins or scones, while brown sugar tends to dissolve and integrate into the dough or batter rather than remain as a decorative crystal.
Flavor and aroma
Raw sugar generally has a lighter molasses, caramel, or cane-like character. Brown sugar has a more obvious molasses aroma; dark brown sugar is typically more intense than light brown sugar. Exact flavor depends on the product, because molasses composition, processing temperatures, crystal size, and storage all influence the final sensory profile.
A 2025 study of processed brown sugars found that changing the proportions of raw sugar and non-centrifugal cane sugar altered color, volatile compounds, retronasal aroma, roasted notes, richness, acidity, and aftertaste. That study used a specific processed-brown-sugar system rather than U.S. supermarket soft brown sugar, so it is evidence for the sensory importance of the molasses-rich fraction, not a universal formula for every brown sugar.
Color
Raw sugar is usually golden or amber. Brown sugar ranges from light tan to deep brown. Color tells you something about the product, but it does not provide a direct measure of healthfulness, calories, or sweetness intensity.
Sweetness
Both products are dominated by sucrose, so the practical sweetness difference is usually smaller than the aroma and texture difference. Brown sugar can taste more rounded, dark, or “richer” because sweetness is part of a multisensory flavor experience. Molasses-associated aromas can change how sweet a food seems even when the chemical amount of sucrose is not dramatically different.
Research on aroma-active compounds in brown cane sugar has shown that caramel-, sweet-, and fruity-smelling volatiles can enhance perceived sweetness in a sugar solution. A broader review of multisensory sweetness perception concludes that aroma, color, texture, packaging, and contextual information can all influence sweetness perception.
What happens in baking?
In baking, raw sugar and brown sugar are not merely two colors of sucrose. Crystal size and moisture alter the physical system. The same swap can behave differently in a wet cake batter, a low-moisture cookie dough, a streusel topping, or a syrup.
Cookies
Brown sugar is usually the more reliable choice when a recipe is designed for a soft or chewy cookie. Its moisture and molasses-associated components influence dough consistency, water availability, flavor, color, and the balance between spread and structure. Replacing it with coarse raw sugar can make the dough feel drier and can leave larger crystals incompletely dissolved. Depending on the formulation, the cookie may become crisper, grainier, paler in molasses flavor, or simply different in spread.
The direction and size of the change are recipe-specific. Flour hydration, fat type, egg content, mixing method, baking soda or baking powder, oven temperature, and the exact raw-sugar crystal size all matter. There is no scientifically defensible universal promise that every cookie will become exactly “X percent crisper” or spread a fixed amount.
Cakes and muffins
Kansas State Research and Extension notes that large raw-sugar crystals can dissolve reasonably well in wetter cake batters, while lower-moisture doughs and batters may leave them insufficiently dissolved; grinding the raw sugar more finely can improve incorporation. That makes wet cakes more forgiving than shortbread or some cookies when raw sugar is used in place of a finer sugar.
Replacing brown sugar with raw sugar can still reduce molasses flavor and moisture contribution even when the crystals dissolve. In a recipe where brown sugar is central to the intended crumb or flavor, successful dissolution does not make the ingredients functionally identical.
Toppings and finishing sugar
This is where raw sugar usually has the clearest functional advantage. Large dry crystals can stay visible and crunchy on muffins, scones, quick breads, pies, cookies, oatmeal, and fruit. Soft brown sugar does not provide the same sparkling, granular finish; it tends to absorb moisture, clump, and melt into a softer layer.
Sauces, glazes, marinades, and wet mixtures
In mixtures with enough water to dissolve the crystals, crystal-size differences become less important. Flavor becomes the bigger variable. Brown sugar contributes more pronounced molasses character; raw sugar usually gives a lighter caramel or cane note. If a sauce is built around dark molasses flavor, replacing brown sugar with raw sugar can make it taste flatter even when the sweetness level remains acceptable.
Coffee, tea, and other drinks
Both dissolve readily in hot drinks given enough stirring, though coarse raw crystals may take slightly longer. The difference is mainly sensory: raw sugar tends to add a mild caramel or cane impression, while brown sugar gives a stronger molasses note and can make the beverage smell darker or richer. In cold drinks, dissolution rate matters more, so a syrup or finer sugar may be easier to integrate.
Can you substitute raw sugar for brown sugar?
Often, but not blindly. A direct substitution by weight can be workable in forgiving recipes, yet it is a formulation change. Raw sugar brings less moisture, larger crystals, and usually less intense molasses character. The closer the recipe comes to relying on brown sugar for chewiness, tenderness, moisture retention, or molasses flavor, the more noticeable the substitution becomes.
Use weight rather than packed-cup volume when possible. Brown sugar is commonly packed into a measuring cup, while raw sugar pours freely, so equal volumes do not necessarily represent an equivalent amount.
For wet batters, raw sugar is more likely to dissolve adequately. If crystals are very coarse, grinding them finer can improve incorporation.
For cookies and drier doughs, expect the biggest texture changes. Test a small batch before changing a large recipe.
For a stronger brown-sugar flavor, raw sugar alone may not be enough. A recipe that truly depends on molasses character is better made with the brown sugar it specifies.
For toppings, do not try to imitate brown sugar. Use raw sugar precisely because its coarse crystals stay distinct and crunchy.
If a recipe is chemically sensitive—for example, it relies on a specific balance of moisture, acidity, dissolved sugar, and leavening—the safest choice is to use the sugar named by the recipe rather than assuming all sucrose-rich sugars are interchangeable.
Can you substitute brown sugar for raw sugar?
Yes in many dissolved applications, but the result moves in the opposite direction. Brown sugar introduces more moisture and molasses character and loses the coarse-crystal effect.
In coffee, tea, sauces, and other wet foods, substitution is usually straightforward if you like the stronger molasses flavor.
In cake or quick-bread batter, brown sugar can usually integrate easily, but it may deepen color and flavor and change moisture retention.
As a crunchy topping, brown sugar is a poor structural substitute because its fine moist crystals do not behave like coarse raw sugar.
In recipes where the visible crystal is part of the design—sparkling muffin tops, sanding applications, or crunchy streusel surfaces—use a coarse dry sugar rather than soft brown sugar.
Which one should you use?
Choose the ingredient by function rather than by the idea that one is more natural or more premium.
For chewy cookies: brown sugar is usually the stronger choice when the recipe is designed around it.
For moist cakes and quick breads: brown sugar adds molasses character and moisture; raw sugar can work in some wet batters but produces a different flavor profile.
For crunchy toppings: raw sugar is usually better.
For coffee and tea: either works; choose the flavor you prefer.
For barbecue sauces and dark glazes: brown sugar usually provides the deeper molasses profile people expect.
For fruit toppings and breakfast bowls: raw sugar gives more visible sparkle and crunch; brown sugar melts into a softer coating.
For recipes that name a specific sugar: follow the recipe when texture matters, then experiment only after you know the baseline result.
Is raw sugar healthier than brown sugar?
There is no established health advantage that makes ordinary raw sugar a meaningfully healthier choice than brown sugar. Both are concentrated sugar sweeteners dominated by sucrose. Their differences in molasses-associated compounds, minerals, moisture, and processing are real, but those differences do not turn either product into a significant source of nutrients at typical sweetening amounts.
Under the U.S. FDA’s Added Sugars framework sugars used or packaged as sweeteners count within added sugars. The FDA distinguishes added sugars from naturally occurring sugars in intact foods such as milk, fruits, and vegetables. Raw sugar and brown sugar used to sweeten food therefore belong in the added-sugar side of that distinction, regardless of whether one is marketed as less refined.
The World Health Organization’s guideline on sugars intake uses the broader concept of free sugars, including sugars added by the manufacturer, cook, or consumer. WHO recommends reducing free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake and suggests a further reduction below 5%. The regulatory vocabulary differs—FDA “added sugars” is not identical to WHO “free sugars”—but switching from brown sugar to raw sugar does not move a spoonful of sweetener outside either concept.
For nutrition details without turning this article into a glucose-management guide, see Sugar Nutrition Facts: Calories, Carbohydrates, and Added Sugars. Blood glucose readings, A1C, diabetes targets, continuous glucose monitoring, and individualized treatment belong to a separate medical context.
Why “raw” can feel healthier even when the nutritional difference is small
The word raw carries psychological information. It can suggest closeness to nature, fewer industrial steps, authenticity, craft, and purity. Large amber crystals make that story visible: the product looks less standardized than white granulated sugar and can therefore feel more “whole” or less altered.
A systematic review of 72 studies across 32 countries found that food naturalness is important to many consumers and that perceived naturalness is tied to origin, production methods, and properties of the final product. More recently, Radaelli and colleagues found that “natural” claims can raise perceived naturalness and healthiness, with consumers often using the claim as a heuristic rather than relying only on objective product information.
That literature is not a direct experiment comparing bags of raw and brown sugar, so the application here should be stated precisely: it supports a plausible consumer-psychology mechanism. A label such as raw, natural, minimally processed, organic, or cane can shift expectations before a person tastes the sugar. It does not establish that raw sugar itself is healthier.
Color, texture, and expectation change the tasting experience
Taste is not generated by the tongue alone. When people see golden crystals, smell molasses, feel coarse grains, read a label, and remember previous experiences, the brain integrates those signals into a single flavor judgment. The same amount of sucrose can therefore be experienced differently depending on aroma, texture, visual cues, and expectation.
A review by Shankar, Levitan, and Spence describes how learned color–flavor associations shape flavor expectations. The broader multisensory sweetness review by Wang and colleagues shows that intrinsic cues such as color, aroma, and texture, as well as extrinsic cues such as packaging and context, can alter sweetness perception.
This helps explain an everyday paradox: brown sugar may be described as “richer,” “deeper,” or even “sweeter” although the difference a person notices may come largely from molasses aroma and expectation rather than a large change in sucrose concentration. Raw sugar can feel cleaner or lighter because its aroma profile is milder and its crystalline texture foregrounds crunch.
The psychology of choice: what are you actually choosing?
When shoppers compare raw sugar and brown sugar, four decisions can become mixed together: a culinary decision, a sensory decision, a symbolic decision, and a health decision. Separating them produces a more accurate choice.
Culinary function: Do you need a dry coarse crystal, or a soft moist sugar?
Sensory goal: Do you want a light caramel/cane note, or a stronger molasses profile?
Symbolic preference: Do words such as raw, natural, organic, traditional, or artisanal matter to your sense of quality or identity?
Health interpretation: Are you assuming that fewer processing steps automatically mean a nutritionally superior sweetener?
The first three can be legitimate preferences. The fourth needs evidence. A person may prefer raw sugar because of its texture, flavor, provenance, or production style without needing to convert that preference into a health claim.
For a broader look at how color, texture, flavor, and naturalness expectations interact around cane sugar, see Cane Sugar Taste: Flavor, Color, Texture, and Naturalness Expectations.
What evidence is established, and what is interpretation?
Established
Retail raw-style sugars and soft brown sugar are distinct sugar forms with different processing histories, crystal properties, moisture, and molasses character.
Brown sugar is soft and molasses-flavored; turbinado and demerara are categorized separately from light and dark brown sugar in USDA commercial specifications.
Large raw-sugar crystals can dissolve differently from fine sugars in lower-moisture baking systems.
Both raw sugar and brown sugar are concentrated caloric sweeteners and fall within added/free-sugar frameworks when used as sweeteners.
Aroma, color, texture, and contextual cues can influence perceived sweetness and flavor.
Supported by broader consumer research, but not proven specifically for raw sugar vs brown sugar
The word raw and a less-processed appearance can plausibly increase perceived naturalness.
Naturalness cues can create a health halo that makes a product seem healthier than its nutrient profile alone would justify.
Golden or dark color can shape expected flavor intensity before tasting.
Unsupported or misleading as a general claim
Raw sugar is a health food because it is less processed.
Brown sugar provides a clinically meaningful mineral advantage.
A brown or golden sugar is automatically lower in calories or metabolically harmless.
Raw sugar and brown sugar are interchangeable in every recipe.
The word raw means the sugar has not been heated, crystallized, centrifuged, dried, or otherwise processed.
Common myths and confusing claims
“Raw sugar is unrefined sugar.”
Not necessarily. Retail raw sugar is processed. The term commonly describes partially refined cane sugars, while truly unrefined or non-centrifugal cane sweeteners are different products. The industrial FDA meaning of raw sugar is different again. Product name and processing history need to be checked rather than inferred from the adjective.
“Brown sugar is just dirty white sugar.”
No. Brown sugar is an intentionally produced food ingredient with defined sensory and functional properties. The brown color and molasses flavor are part of the product, not evidence of contamination.
“Brown sugar is always white sugar plus molasses.”
That is a common U.S. manufacturing route for soft brown sugar, but not a universal description of every brown sugar in every market. Some brown sugars retain more of their original syrup during processing.
“Raw sugar and turbinado are always identical.”
In U.S. retail speech, turbinado is one of the most common products sold as raw sugar, but raw sugar is the broader and less precise label. Crystal size, color, and molasses character vary. See Turbinado Sugar for the subtype itself.
“Demerara is just brown sugar with bigger crystals.”
Demerara belongs to the family of coarse golden cane sugars and is functionally distinct from soft brown sugar. Its dry large crystals are part of the ingredient’s identity. The dedicated Demerara Sugar page covers that ingredient without collapsing it into the generic raw-sugar label.
“If two sugars have the same calories, they taste the same.”
Energy content does not determine the complete sensory experience. Aroma, crystal texture, moisture, color, dissolution, temperature, and learned expectations can all change perceived flavor and liking.
Storage: why brown sugar hardens and raw sugar stays more free-flowing
Brown sugar is hygroscopic and moisture-sensitive. When it loses water, the syrupy film between crystals becomes less mobile and the crystals can bind into a hard mass. Airtight storage slows that change. Raw-style sugar contains less moisture and normally remains more free-flowing, although any sugar can cake under unfavorable humidity conditions.
The contrast is another reason substitutions behave differently. A recipe measured with packed soft brown sugar starts with a different physical ingredient than one measured with loose coarse raw crystals.
Raw sugar vs brown sugar in everyday foods
Chocolate chip cookies
Use brown sugar when the recipe is designed for chewiness, molasses depth, and moisture. Raw sugar can be an experiment, but expect a different spread and texture unless the crystals are finely ground and the rest of the formulation is adjusted.
Muffins and scones
Brown sugar can sweeten the batter and add a softer molasses character. Raw sugar is especially valuable on top, where it gives crunch and visible sparkle. Using the same sugar inside and outside is not necessary because the two jobs are different.
Banana bread, gingerbread, and spice cakes
Brown sugar generally fits the flavor architecture better when warm spices and molasses-like notes are central. Raw sugar can sweeten these foods, but it usually brings less depth and moisture.
Oatmeal and cereal
Either works. Raw sugar offers discrete crystals and a lighter caramel note; brown sugar dissolves into a softer, darker coating. This is mainly a preference and texture decision.
Coffee and tea
Either works. Raw sugar is popular because its light cane character and golden crystal appearance fit the ritual of specialty beverages. Brown sugar gives a stronger molasses signature. Neither choice requires a health narrative.
Sauces and glazes
Brown sugar is usually easier when a recipe expects immediate dissolution plus a molasses profile. Raw sugar works in sufficiently wet mixtures, but the flavor will be lighter unless the recipe includes molasses or another dark-flavor ingredient.
FAQ
Is raw sugar the same as brown sugar?
No. Retail raw sugar is usually a coarse, dry, partially refined cane sugar with a light molasses film. Brown sugar is usually finer, moister, softer, and more molasses-forward.
Which is sweeter, raw sugar or brown sugar?
They are both sucrose-rich and usually similar in basic sweetening power. Brown sugar can taste richer or more intensely sweet because molasses aroma participates in flavor perception.
Which is healthier, raw sugar or brown sugar?
Neither has an established meaningful health advantage over the other. Both are concentrated sugar sweeteners. Choose between them primarily for culinary and sensory reasons.
Can I replace brown sugar with raw sugar in cookies?
You can experiment, but expect a different result. Raw sugar is drier and usually coarser, so cookies may change in spread, graininess, crispness, moisture, and molasses flavor. Grinding the raw sugar finer can improve dissolution, but it does not replace brown sugar’s moisture or flavor.
Can I replace raw sugar with brown sugar?
Often in wet mixtures, yes. Brown sugar will add more moisture and molasses flavor. It is not a good replacement when the point of raw sugar is a crunchy crystal topping.
Is turbinado sugar raw sugar?
Turbinado is one of the most common retail sugars described as raw sugar. It is still processed and partially refined, and it should not be confused with industrial refinery-grade raw sugar.
Is demerara sugar raw sugar?
Demerara is commonly grouped with raw-style cane sugars. It has large dry crystals and a distinctive golden-brown color, but product standards and processing can vary by market and manufacturer.
Is brown sugar less processed than raw sugar?
There is no single answer because production routes vary. Retail raw-style sugars are generally less refined than conventional soft brown sugar made from refined crystals plus molasses, but some brown sugars are made by retaining more cane syrup rather than by adding molasses back.
Does raw sugar contain more minerals?
Residual molasses can contribute trace minerals, but that does not establish a meaningful nutritional advantage at ordinary sweetening amounts. Sugar is not an efficient way to obtain minerals.
Why does brown sugar make baked goods softer?
Its higher moisture and molasses-associated components change water retention, dissolution, and dough or batter behavior. The effect depends on the full recipe, so “brown sugar always makes everything softer” is an oversimplification.
What is the best raw sugar substitute for brown sugar?
If you need the culinary functions of soft brown sugar, the best substitute is usually another soft brown sugar or a recipe-tested mixture designed to reproduce brown sugar’s molasses and moisture. Raw sugar can work in some recipes, especially wet ones, but it is not a universal equivalent.
Bottom line
Raw sugar and brown sugar share a sucrose base and brown color, yet they solve different culinary problems. Raw sugar is generally coarse, dry, golden, lightly molasses-flavored, and useful when visible crystal texture matters. Brown sugar is finer, softer, moister, more molasses-forward, and especially useful when a recipe benefits from moisture retention, darker flavor, and a more integrated sugar phase.
For health, the distinction is small. For baking and sensory experience, it can be large. The most useful question is therefore not “Which brown-colored sugar is healthier?” but “What do I need this sugar to do in the food?”