Organic Sugar: What Does it Actually Mean?
- Adriane
- Mar 28, 2020
- 11 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
In my quest to help home cooks navigate the complex world of sweeteners, I’ve taken a closer look at all the certified organic sugars sold in U.S. stores.
They typically fall into three main types: raw cane sugars, unrefined cane sugars, and beet sugars. The most common—often just labeled “organic sugar”—are raw cane sugars. If you’re looking for information on all organic sweeteners (not just sugar), I cover that in my 2025 Guide to Organic Sweeteners.
To sum up what's on that guide, certified organic sugars must be extracted from organically grown sugar cane or sugar beet plants. They also have to be processed, handled, and packaged according to a long list of rules set by the USDA's National Organic Program.
Read on to learn 30 facts about organic sugars and why they might be a better choice for you.
NOTE: The terms sugar cane and sugar beet are made up of two words. To keep things simple, I use sugarcane and sugarbeet as single words — or just cane and beet for short.
Behind the Label: How Organic Sugar Is Regulated
The use of the term "organic" in food labels is strictly regulated by the National Organic Program (NOP), which was established and is administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Sweeteners labeled with the organic claim must comply not only with the USDA's organic standards but also with the FDA's regulations for labeling. This extra layer of oversight ensures that organic sugars undergo greater scrutiny than conventional ones. There are two organic certification types: producers and handlers.
Certification for producers (farmers or ranchers) – These are growers who produce organic cane or beet grown according to NOP standards. To earn certification, farmers must: 1) use practices that maintain or enhance soil and water quality (like crop rotation). 2) Steer clear of genetically modified (GM) seeds; 3) Limit chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers. To draw a comparison, organic farmers have restricted access to 15 synthetic pesticides, while over 500 are registered for use in conventional farming.
Certification for handlers (processors, manufacturers, and packagers) – A common misconception is that organic sugar is unrefined and minimally processed. Organic sugars still go through processing and refining—but under strict rules that control how they are manufactured and packaged. So, the organic certification relates not only to the way a crop is grown but also to how it is processed, handled, and packaged. Just like the farmer, the facilities that manufacture, process, and package the sweetener must be certified by an NOP-authorized agency, following the NOP organic processing regulations.
To be certified as an organic sweetener and display the USDA's organic seal on the package's label, the seller must also be certified by an NOP-authorized agent. The certifying agency's name must be stated on the product's label. People who sell or label a sugar "organic" when they know it does not meet USDA standards can be fined up to $20,130 per violation.
How Organic Sugars Stack up
While organic sugars can come from sugarbeet or sugarcane plants, nearly all the products I found in stores are made from cane. That’s a big contrast to refined sugars, which are more evenly split — 40 to 45% from cane and 55 to 60% from beet. Here’s how organic sugars compare, starting with where they come from:
From Sugar Beet
Organic sugar from beet is not made in the USA: The United States is one of the only countries in the world that grows both cane and beet plants. However, only GM varieties of sugarbeets are planted. Consequently, there is no farming of organic beets and no production of organic beet sugar.
Organic sugars from beet are rare in the U.S. and usually imported from Europe: I found only one organic sugar from beet: NOW Organic Beet Sugar. Just note — NOW also sells a non-organic version called NOW Non-GMO Beet Sugar. Both are imported from Europe. Europe is the world's top producer of beet sugar. It grows only non-GMO sugar beets (no sugarcane at all) and doesn’t allow sugar made from genetically modified cane or beets to be sold.
From Sugar Cane
Most organic sugars in stores come from cane. Globally, about 85% of all sugar is made from cane, so it’s no surprise that most organic sugars on store shelves are cane-based. Until recently, sugarcane wasn’t genetically modified anywhere in the world. But that changed in 2018 when Brazil—one of the world's top cane sugar producers—began growing GM sugarcane.
Organic cane sugar is mostly imported from South America or Africa: With one exception (see next), all the organic sugars and syrups I found in U.S. stores are imported. While Brazil and India dominate the global conventional sugar market, Paraguay is the top producer of organic sugar—with around 60% of its total sugar production being organic.
Only one producer of organic sugar in the USA: America's only producer of certified organic sugars and syrups is Florida Crystals Corp.—a pioneer in organic sugar farming in the country. Their organic sugars are produced in a sugar mill in South Florida. They currently offer three types of organic sugar and one syrup—check them out at their Amazon storefront here.
Types of Organic Cane Sugar: Raw vs. Unrefined
There are two main types of organic cane sugar: raw and unrefined. Raw sugars are the most widely available and often labeled simply as “organic sugar.” Unrefined options, like Sucanat and traditional brown sugars such as jaggery and panela, retain more of the original cane molasses and have a richer flavor.
Organic Raw Sugar: The Most Common Type
Most organic sugars in stores are raw cane sugars with blonde crystals and labeled simply as "organic sugar". Other forms of raw sugars include light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, powdered sugar, molasses, and cane syrup.
For the full scoop, check out my detailed post: Raw Sugar: From Turbinado to Demerara, Find out Exactly What it is. But here’s the quick version—what you really need to know about raw sugar:
A highly-refined sugar that comes straight from freshly harvested cane: Organic raw sugars are made close to cane fields in a sugar mill, by crushing the freshly harvested cane. The resulting juice is clarified and filtered to remove impurities, then gently heated to evaporate the water. A single-crystallization process results in sugar crystals covered with molasses — the thick dark syrup that is formed when cane juice is heated up. The crystals are then centrifuged and washed to remove most of the molasses. As mentioned earlier, all farming practices and chemicals must be approved by the USDA's organic standards.
Crystals have just a hint of molasses flavor and a pale blond color: Trace amounts of the original cane molasses are retained around the crystals, which gives them color and flavor. They contain less than 2% molasses. Their crystals are medium-sized, slightly larger than table sugar.
Slightly less refined than table sugar but far less processed: Organic raw sugars (blond color) contain about 99% sucrose, compared to 99.95% in table sugar. Both are purified through crystallization and centrifugation. The difference? Table sugar undergoes multiple cycles of crystallization and centrifugation, while raw sugar goes through just one cycle.
A good substitute for table sugar: Organic raw sugars can be used just like table sugar in most recipes. They add a molasses flavor to recipes and have the same sweetness—one teaspoon of raw sugar equals one teaspoon of table sugar. Just note: they do not cream and dissolve the same way as table sugar.
Organic cane sugar goes by many names: At the supermarket, you can spot raw cane sugar labeled as turbinado, evaporated cane juice, dried cane syrup, and dehydrated cane juice.
In grocery stores, organic raw sugar cost up to 5 times more than regular cane sugar. I purchased a variety of organic sugars in Richmond (VA), Madison (WI), San Francisco (CA), and online. Prices ranged from $1.65 to $2.60 per pound. In comparison, granulated cane sugar—also known as white or table sugar—ranged from 50 to 65 cents per pound.
1.1 Other Forms of Organic Raw Sugar
In addition to the blonde crystals labeled as “organic sugar,” there are several other organic sweeteners made from raw cane sugar. These include molasses (a byproduct of organic sugar production), brown sugars, powdered sugar, and cane syrup—each made by blending organic sugar with other ingredients (like molasses or starch) or by dissolving it in water (with an acid or enzyme) to create a syrup.
Organic molasses, such as the Wholesome! and Plantation brands, are obtained during the refining process of organic raw sugars (described above).
Organic light & dark brown sugars are simply a mixture of organic raw sugar and organic molasses. Light brown sugars have about 2 to 3% molasses added to organic sugar, and dark brown sugars have about 6% added molasses. The two leading brands of organic brown sugar are Wholesome and Florida Crystals.
Organic powdered sugar is a blend of organic raw sugar and organic cornstarch or tapioca starch (about 3%). The two leading brands of organic powdered sugar in stores include Wholesome and Florida Crystals.
Liquid organic raw cane sugar, such as the Florida Crystals brand, is a blend of about 75% organic raw sugar and 25% water, resulting in an invert syrup (aka golden syrup).
Organic Unrefined Sugar
Unrefined cane sugars retain nearly all of the original cane molasses around the sucrose crystals. Unlike raw sugars—which are centrifuged to remove most of the original molasses—unrefined sugars keep 8 and 14% molasses, which gives them a strong flavor and dark brown color. For more details, check out my post Unrefined Sugar: 4 Myths and How it Compares with Common Sweeteners. Let’s take a closer look at the two types of organic unrefined cane sugars I found in stores—and what makes each one unique.
2.1 Traditional Artisan Brown Sugars
A partially refined sugar that comes straight from freshly harvested cane: Traditional unrefined sugars are produced close to cane fields using hundreds of years of know-how. They are often made on a small scale for local markets with simple equipment and little capital. Put simply, their refining process involves collecting the cane juice, clarifying it, and boiling its water off through slow simmering in open kettles.
They have many different local names worldwide: muscovado of Mauritius Island and Phillippines, rapadura of Brazil, panela of Colombia, piloncillo of Mexico, kokuto of Japan, and jaggery of India.
2.2 Sucanat
A registered trademark of Wholesome Sweeteners Inc (Sugar Land, TX), Sucanat stands for Sugar Cane Natural. It is an unrefined cane sugar dried by a more sophisticated process than traditional unrefined sugars. Sucanat is organic and fair trade certified. Learn all about Sucanat here.
A partially refined sugar that comes straight from freshly harvested cane and is dried by a patented process: The Sucanat production process starts with cane stalks being crushed to extract the juice, which is then clarified and heated in large vats. Hand paddling cools and dries the syrup through a drying process developed by the Swiss company Pronatec.
Sucanat does not tend to clump, cake, or harden like regular brown sugars. It does not dissolve quickly into doughs and batters. However, we can process it in a coffee grinder or pulse it in a blender to help incorporate Sucanat more easily. The following brands are widely available in stores: Wholesome and Now Foods.
Common Misconceptions About Organic Sugar
Let’s clear up a few common misconceptions about organic sugar—while highlighting why choosing certified organic still makes a real difference.
Organic doesn’t mean unprocessed. The term "processed" simply means changing something from its original state for reasons like safety, taste, aroma, convenience, availability, and consistency. Organic sugars still go through processing—but far less than refined sugars.
Organic doesn’t mean unrefined. The term "refine" means to purify or remove impurities. All sugars — organic or not — are refined to some degree. During the refining process, the sucrose crystals are physically separated from impurities. Organic sugars are only slightly less refined than table sugar, but they retain a touch more molasses and undergo fewer processing steps.
Organic doesn’t mean more nutritious. Organic is not healthier or nutritionally superior to its conventional (non-organic) counterparts. To compare, common organic sugars have 97 to 99% sucrose and table sugar has 99.95%. The remaining is mostly water in both sugars. All of them have a glycemic index of around 60. An organic turbinado sugar, for example, does not provide more nutritive value than a regular turbinado, but it offers peace of mind—knowing it was made without GMOs and harmful farming practices.
Organic sugar is not inherently safer for our health than conventional sugar. Fom a chemistry standpoint, the sucrose molecule in organic and conventional cane sugar is the same. The difference lies not in the molecule—but in how it’s grown and processed. Still, even if organic sugar isn’t chemically different, how it’s grown and handled makes a meaningful impact—both for the planet and for you.
Is it Worth it to Buy Organic Sugar?
Yes — especially with sweeteners produced abroad. Here are 5 reasons why:
A certified organic sugar must meet a long list of strict standards — far beyond what’s required for a non-organic. Conventional sweeteners only need to meet the Food and Drug Administration's regulations for labeling. Organic sweeteners, however, must comply with both USDA’s organic standards and the FDA’s rules. This extra layer of oversight ensures that organic monk fruit goes through greater scrutiny than conventional ones.
For sugar to be certified organic, every step in the supply chain must meet specific strict standards. That means the farmer must be certified, along with the processor, co-packers, distributors, and any other handler involved.
Organic farmers are required to use practices that maintain or improve soil and water quality, while also protecting wetlands, woodlands, and wildlife. Genetically modified (GM) seeds are not allowed, and organic methods are designed to minimize exposure to synthetic pesticides and fertilizers — making a difference for both you and the planet.
If the sugar is organic, it is non-GMO. The use of genetic engineering or genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is prohibited in organic products. Organic sugar cannot be sourced from GM sugarbeet and sugarcane.
Organic sugar is mainly produced in other countries. Before it reaches your kitchen, it passes through many hands: farmers, processors, transporters, warehouses, customs agencies, and more. Unlike conventional sugar, which may pass through multiple intermediaries with little oversight, organic sweeteners must be documented at every step—from the farm to the packaged product.
These are just some of the advantages. Learn more by reading my post: Why Organic Sweeteners?
Is Organic Sugar Vegan or Vegetarian?
Yes—certified organic sugar is always vegan and vegetarian-friendly. When it comes to organic sugar, processing is held to stricter standards. Because it's less processed, it retains more of the natural color and flavor of cane molasses. Bone char—a decolorizing agent made from animal bones—is not allowed in organic sugar production. It’s excluded from the National List of Allowed and Prohibited Substances under the USDA’s organic standards.
So if you’re looking to avoid animal products in your food, organic sugar is a safe and reliable choice.
Main Takeaways
Organic sugars aren’t more nutritious than table sugar—but they offer more than just sweetness. Choose them for their molasses flavor, crunchy texture, pleasure of using a less processed sugar, and the peace of mind that comes from knowing how they’re produced and sourced.
Certified organic sugars follow strict standards for how they’re grown, processed, packaged, and handled. These standards are designed to protect soil, water, biodiversity, and public health. While personal health benefits may be indirect, the environmental impact is real and lasting.
Organic sugar is worth the investment for those who care about sustainability, support responsible farming, and enjoy a less processed sweetener. It’s a small switch that supports a much bigger mission.
To learn more, watch the following video...
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