Estimating Consumption of Caloric Sweeteners
Since 1941, ERS has estimated annual U.S. total and per
capita consumption of caloric sweeteners. The data series
comprises dry-weight consumption estimates of refined cane
and beet sugar, corn sweeteners, honey, and edible syrups.
The estimates are based on deliveries of sweeteners by
processors, refiners, and importers to U.S. food and beverage
manufacturers, institutional users, wholesalers, and retailers.
Food and beverage manufacturers use the sweeteners in processed
products ranging from candy and soft drinks to catsup, yogurt,
peanut butter, and boxed rice mixes. Food wholesalers and
retailers distribute refined sugar, honey, maple syrup,
and molasses for individual and household use.
ERS relies on estimates of refined cane and beet sugar
deliveries published by USDA’s Farm Service Agency
(FSA) in Sweetener Market Data. These estimates
include sugar refined from domestic and imported raw sugar
as well as refined sugar imports. As required by law (currently,
the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002), all
sugar beet processors and sugar cane refiners in the United
States and Puerto Rico provide FSA with monthly reports
on deliveries of refined sugar. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural
Service provides FSA with estimates of refined sugar imports.
ERS estimates deliveries of corn sweeteners (high-fructose
corn syrup, glucose, and dextrose) for domestic food and
beverage uses (excluding nonfood uses), using information
from industry contacts, consulting firms, and U.S. Census
Bureau import data.
ERS divides total deliveries of various sweeteners by population
to estimate per capita deliveries. Estimates of per capita
delivery help determine whether Americans, on average, are
consuming more or less added sugars over time. The delivery
estimates, however, overstate the actual human intake of
caloric sweeteners by not excluding amounts lost to human
use through food spoilage, plate waste, and other losses
in the home and marketing system. To obtain a measure of
actual intake per capita, ERS subtracts estimated losses
of caloric sweeteners from per capita deliveries. Average
losses at the retail/institutional level total 11 percent,
while those at the consumer level total 20 percent.
Estimates of per capita intake of caloric sweeteners made
using this procedure may provide more accurate measures
of average intake than estimates based on food intake surveys,
particularly if some survey respondents underreport consumption
of foods containing added sugars.
