I have acknowledged my possibly self-defeating urge to bring attention to bullshit that deserves no attention (see: every post I’ve ever done about the liarly named Center for Consumer Freedom (no link, intentionally)). But here I go again.

Researching a speech, I came across a page at wholesomesweeteners.com (itself an immediate flag) that touts “fair trade certified organic sucanat.” Well gosh, if it’s fair-trade-certified and organic, it must be good, right? Why, “sucanat” itself is nothing but a shortening of “SUgar CAne NATural.

This approach fits right into the theme of a recent post that highlighted that “organic” isn’t synonymous with “nutritious,” even if they might be related. My friend Steve Mayer added in a tweet that the same goes for “vegan,” in that Oreos are vegan. We could toss in “gluten-free,” another dietary description that is meaningful but doesn’t mean “nutritious.” (If you don’t have a gluten intolerance, “gluten-free” is an empty buzzword.)

These examples reflect a rampant Big Food strategy to crow about a product’s sole grace note, even if no one would call that product healthful. (See: “whole grain” Lucky Charms cereal). Try to remember that sawdust is “rich in fiber,” and cow shit is “natural.”

But back to the sucanat page, which describes the wonderfully wholesome process that leads to this pristine product:

It's made by simply crushing freshly cut sugar cane, extracting the juice and heating it in a large vat. Once the juice is reduced to a rich, dark syrup, it is hand-paddled. Hand paddling cools and dries the syrup, creating the dry porous granules we call Sucanat. Nothing is added and nothing is taken out! 

You got that? After they strip away the cane fiber, and boil away most of the moisture, “...nothing is taken out!” And it’s hand-paddled! That’s gotta be wholesome, right?

The ad goes on to say that sucanat “is an excellent source of iron, calcium, vitamin B6, potassium and chromium, which helps balance blood sugar.” Yes, that’s exactly what processed sugar does, it balances blood sugar.