American Sugar Alliance Director of Economics and Policy Analysis Rob Johansson discussed the challenges facing the U.S. sugar market during the American Sugarbeet Growers Association annual meeting. “We’ve got ample supplies coming into 2026, with a lot of refined cane and beet sugar on hand, which is weighing on the market. At the same time, demand has fallen off, and whether it flattens out the rest of the year is still unclear.” Johansson also pointed to multiple factors affecting consumer sugar use, including GLP-1 medications, inflation, and changes in dietary guidelines. “All of these things are creating downward pressure on demand.”
