1. Sugar cane has been cultivated for at least 10,000 years. The people of New Guinea are known to have done so around 8000BC.
2. A study in 2012 reported that eating too much sugar makes rats stupid.
3. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugar cane with almost 40 per cent of the world total.
4. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, sugar tongs were first referred to in 1708, sugar lumps in 1901 and sugar daddies in 1926.
5. Until the late 16th century, sugar was an expensive treat for the nobility. British settlers in America often called it “white gold”.
6. 70 per cent of a lemon is sugar compared with 40 per cent of a strawberry. It’s citric acid that makes a lemon taste so sour.
7. Dogs enjoy sweet foods but cats have no sweetness receptors in their brains.
8. According to a study in 2013, at least 180,000 deaths worldwide are linked to sweetened drinks.
9. In 2013, Ralph Schröder of Germany was found to have a record 14,502 packets of sugar.
10. The US eats most sugar, an average of 126.4gm (4.5oz) a day. The British eat 93.2gm (3.3oz).