Competitive Relationships Between Sugar and Corn Sweeteners

This study is confined to an analysis of the competition between sweeteners used industrially in making bakery products, ice cream, confectionery, soft drinks, and canned, frozen, or preserved foods. It is estimated that in 1949 approximately 94 percent of the sugar which was used for the commercial production of sweetened foods was used in these products. Except for corn sirup used in blended sirups, even larger proportions of the corn sweeteners were used in these products. No attention has been given in this study to the use of sweeteners for making any of these products in the home, nor to direct household or restaurant consumption of sugar and corn sirup. While the primary sweeteners under study here are the various types of sugar and corn sweeteners, some mention will be made of other sweeteners, such as molasses and honey. An analysis is made of how each of the three types of corn sweeteners--dextrose, corn sirup, and corn sirup solids--competes with sugar, and attention is given to the effect upon this competitive pattern of utilizing sugar in liquid rather than in crystalline form. The primary objectives of this study are twofold: (1) To determine statistically the extent of competition between sugar and the corn sweeteners in the production of processed foods; and (2) to ascertain the principal factors governing an industrial user's choice of sweetening agent or agents in making a given product.