Market structure
Sugar uses take two principal forms :
- direct use as table sugar (cube or caster sugar)
- indirect use : industrial consumption or sugar used in the production of sweet food.
Until 1960, table sugar accounted for 50% of overall sugar sales in France. At the beginning of the 1970s it fell to around 45%, decreasing further to 40% in the early 1980s. At present, it represents just over 20% of overall sales.
Changes in sugar sales in metropolitan France
In 1826, if we compare the volume of sugar sold with the total population, sugar availability was 2 kilograms per year per capita. This average increased throughout the century, to 5.5 kg in 1860, 8.6 kg in 1880 and 12 kg in 1900 before reaching 20 kg on the eve of World War I.
During the war, sugar became a scarce commodity and in 1918 average per capita sugar sales were only 8 kg per year. Between the wars, it rose to 23 kg, but plunged again to 6 kg per year during World War II.
The prosperous 30-year period between 1945 and 1975 saw another rapid rise: in 1958 the French had 30 kg of sugar at their disposal, rising to 36 kg by 1970. Consumption remained stable at 35 kg in the 1990s.
Sugar consumption in France
Sugar sales reflect the availability and volume of sugar on the market, at a country or population level.
In order to understand the sugar consumption levels of individuals, it is preferable to use data from food surveys performed by INCA (Individual and National Food Consumption Survey) and CREDO (Research Centre for the Study and Observation of Living Conditions).
These individual dietary surveys reveal that sucrose consumption was estimated at 27 kg per year per inhabitant in 2000. This takes into account sugar eaten in its normal state and added to sweetened products.