Sugar. Is it poison? There seems to be no doubt that excessive quantities of pure, refined, concentrated sugars are bad for our health. But who is to blame for increasing rates of obesity and its related health problems? Is it, as governments and sugar barons would have us believe, solely the fault of the consumers who continue to ingest larger and larger quantities? Is curing society of the ills of excessive consumption, simply a case of educating the ignorant masses and taxing sugar sales? I think not. Sugar is an addictive substance. Just like nicotine, alcohol and illegal drugs, and the effects on the health and well-being of its addicts, just as devastating. How is it then, that the producers of this toxic substance get away with mass-producing it, marketing it so deceptively, and hooking users at such extremely young ages?

It is because they have masses of money. Money which they use to ensure that the truth about sugar is obscured, to investigate precise and effective ways of keeping their customers hooked, to entice consumers with irresistible advertising, and to buy the favour of politicians. The truth is, that money earned through the deliberate cause of suffering to others is nothing short of evil. To get to the real heart of this problem and nurture the hope of a cure, we must demand honesty and ethics in business. We must demand that the good of humanity be the central guiding principle of enterprise, not extraordinary profit margins.