1. Organic products meet stringent standards.  Organic certification is the public's assurance that products have been grown and handled according to strict procedures without persistent chemical inputs.
2. Organic food tastes great!  It's common sense:  Well-balanced soils produce strong, healthy plants that become nourishing food for people and animals.
3. Organic production reduces health risks.  Many EPA-approved pesticides were registered long before extensive research linked these chemicals to cancer and other diseases.  Organic agriculture is one way to prevent any more of these chemicals from getting into the air, earth and water that sustain us.
4. Organic farms respect our water resources.  The elimination of polluting chemicals and nitroglycerin fertilizers, done in combination with soil conservation, protects and conserves water resources.
5. Organic farms build healthy soil.  Soil is the foundation of the food chain.  A primary focus of organic farming is to protect and build healthy soils.
6. Organic farmers work in harmony with nature.  Organic farmers respect the balance demands of a healthy ecosystem:  wildlife is encouraged by using permanent pastures, utilizing buffer zones, planting wildlife refuges and by protecting wetlands, forest and other natural areas.
7. Organic producers are leaders in innovative research.  Organic farmers have led the way, largely at their own expense, with innovative on-farm research aimed at reducing pesticide use and minimizing agriculture's impact on the environment.
8. Organic producers strive to preserve diversity.  The loss of a large variety of species (biodiversity) is one of the most pressing environmental concerns.  The good news is that many organic farmers and gardeners have been collecting and preserving seeds, and growing unusual varieties for decades.
9. Organic farming helps keep rural communities healthy.  The USDA reported that in 1997, half of US farm production came from only 2% of farms.  Organic agriculture can be a lifeline for small farms because it offers an alternative market where sellers can command fair prices for crops.
10. Organic abundance:  Foods and non-foods alike!  Now every food category has an organic alternative.  And non-food agricultural products are being grown organically - even cotton, which most experts felt could not be grown this way.

Source:  Organic Bouquet and The Organic Trade Association

Source:  The Organic Trade Assocation

Source:  The Organic Trade Association

Source:  The Organic Trade Assocation

Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Certified Organic and Natural Sugars (including Organic Sugar, Organic Sucanat, Light and Dark Brown Sugars, Turbinado, Powdered Sugar, Raw Cane Sugar, Natural Cane Sugar), Organic Blue Agave nectars, and Organic Syrups are made without animal by-products.

Wholesome Sweeteners' Fair Trade Organic Honeys are, of course, produced by bees.

Plants and animals, including, of course, humans, put these carbs to use in two ways:

• Storage of chemical energy in the form of calories  (4 cal/gram)
• Building blocks for our cells.

Carbs sometimes get a bad rap. They shouldn't. They are important to our bodies' function. Carbs in balance are not a problem, per se; carbs out of balance are a big problem. Lately some people have been eating more synthetically produced carbs than their bodies can use. The excess is stored as fat.

While sugars offer us so much in biochemical terms, we most often think about sugars as sweet things that make every day better. Sweetness helps mask undesirable flavors (it was used to administer medicines during the Middle Ages). It also enhances our perception of food aromas, perhaps by signaling to the brain that the food is a good energy source.

Besides providing energy to our bodies and sweetening the foods we eat, sugar provides texture as well. 

• It forms a sticky matrix that binds food particles together. It has a strong affinity for water, it dissolves easily and bonds quickly to water molecules so it helps keep baked good moist. It helps tenderizes flour's gluten in baked goods and softens proteins in custards and creams.
• When heated (or caramelized), it changes color as it changes in flavor--from pale and sweet, to browner and acidic, to darker and bitter, adding visual and olfactory appeal.

The Common Sugars: Glucose, Fructose & Sucrose

Glucose: Simple sugar or monosaccharide/C₆H₁₂O6 (aka: dextrose)

Living cells get most of their energy from glucose. It's a basic building block for starches and is commonly derived from corn and rice, but it's also in many fruits and honeys. It's ALWAYS combined with other sugars (especially fructose).

Alone, glucose metabolizes quickly, flooding the system with energy, then dissipating. (Some folks experience this as a blood sugar spike.) When glucose is combined with other common sugars, the other sugars help sustain its benefits.

Compared to other common cooking sugars (sucrose and fructose), glucose:

• Is the least sweet
• Is slow to taste sweet, peaks at about half the sweetness of sugar and lingers.
• Is less soluble in water
• Produces a thinner solution
• Caramelizes at 300° F/150°C
• Crystallizes, given enough time and the right temperature

Fructose: Simple sugar or monosaccharide/C₆H₁₂O₆

Fructose, the common sugar, is vastly different from the manufactured high fructose corn syrup we've heard so much about lately. Like glucose, fructose is found in many fruits and honey. Fructose has the same chemical formula as glucose, but it's organized differently, and that makes all the difference. Most importantly, fructose metabolizes slowly, providing a “timed release” of energy.

Compared to other common cooking sugars fructose:

• Is the sweetest of the common sugars 
• Our tastebuds recognize its sweetness quickly and strongly, but it fades quickly without a lingering aftertaste
• Is most soluble in water (4 parts fructose will dissolve in 1 part water)
• Begins to caramelize at 220° F/105° C 
• Doesn't crystallize when it's the dominant common sugar.

Fructose’s sweetness varies depending on temperature. Its structure actually changes when heated or cooled. It’s sweetest in cold solutions, but only about half as sweet in warm solutions (140° F/60° C).

Sucrose: Compound sugar or disaccharide/Glucose+Fructose (a.k.a table sugar)

Green plants produce sucrose in the process of photosynthesis and it's found in sugar cane and sugar beets. Sucrose offers us the most useful combination of properties:

• It's not as sweet as fructose, but sweeter than glucose
• It's less soluble than fructose, but more soluble than glucose
• It takes just a bit of time for our tastebuds to detect sucrose's sweetness, then we enjoy the flavor a little longer
• 2 parts of sucrose can dissolve in 1 part water (Produces the most viscosity or thickness in a water solution)
• Begins to melt at 320°F/160°C and begins to caramelize at 340°F/170°C

Fructose is a naturally occuring fruit sugar that metabolizes slowly, providing a “timed release” of energy. It's the same type of sugar found in an apple.

Compared to other common cooking sugars fructose:

• Is the sweetest of the common sugars 
• Our tastebuds recognize its sweetness quickly and strongly, but it fades quickly without a lingering aftertaste
• Is most soluble in water (4 parts fructose will dissolve in 1 part water)
• Begins to caramelize at  220° F/105° C, a much lower temperature than other common sugars
• Doesn't crystallize.

Fructose’s sweetness varies depending on temperature. Its structure actually changes when heated or cooled. It’s sweetest in cold solutions, but only about half as sweet in warm solutions (140° F/60° C).

Please note:  Fructose is vastly different from the manufactured high fructose corn syrup we've heard so much about lately.  To learn more, please enter "high fructose corn syrup" in the search box.

Alone, glucose metabolizes quickly, flooding the system with energy, then dissipating. (Some folks experience this as a blood sugar spike.) When glucose is combined with other common sugars, the other sugars help sustain its benefits.

Compared to other common cooking sugars (sucrose and fructose), glucose:

• Is the least sweet
• Is slow to taste sweet, peaks at about half the sweetness of sugar and lingers.
• Is less soluble in water
• Produces a thinner solution
• Caramelizes at 300° F/150°C
• Crystallizes, given enough time and the right temperature

• It's not as sweet as fructose, but sweeter than glucose
• It's less soluble than fructose, but more soluble than glucose
• It takes just a bit of time for our tastebuds to detect sucrose's sweetness, then we enjoy the flavor a little longer
• 2 parts of sucrose can dissolve in 1 part water (Produces the most viscosity or thickness in a water solution)
• Begins to melt at 320°F/160°C and begins to caramelize at 340°F/170°C

Organic Fair Trade Sugar
Organic Fair Trade Sucanat
Organic Turbinado
Organic Fair Trade Light Brown Sugar
Organic Fair Trade Dark Brown Sugar
Organic Fair Trade Powdered Sugar
Fair Trade Raw Cane Sugar
Fair Trade Natural Cane Sugar
Organic Zero
Organic Fair Trade Molasses
Organic Light Blue Agave
Organic Raw Blue Agave

After growing for 5 to 7 years, a mature blue agave stands several feet tall and its carbohydrates are concentrated in the plant's core. The blue agave’s treasure is held in the pina (so called because it resembles a pineapple after the leaves have been trimmed away). Wax in the blue agave’s long leaves gives the species its bluish color.

Farmers hand-cut the blue agave with a simple razor-sharp blade. (A skilled farmer can cut and trim a 100- pound blue agave pina in less than 5 minutes.) The field trimmings are left behind to restore the soil and reduce erosion.

The fibrous blue agave pina is taken to the mill where it is pressed and its inulin-rich juice is collected and cleaned.

Inulin, a dietary fiber made up of complex carbohydrates, is not sweet by nature. Exposing (or hydrolyzing) the inulin to heat transforms it into sweet nectar. When making the Light Blue Agave nectar, the juice is heated to a higher temperature for a short time. However, when making the Raw Blue Agave nectar, the process is lower and much slower: the juice is warmed to a lower temperature and the low heat is maintained for nearly twice as long. In this simple process, the inulin becomes fructose, a slowly metabolizing sugar found in many fruits and vegetables. Filtering determines the blue agave nectars’ flavor and color. The Light Blue Agave is simply more filtered than its Raw-Amber counterpart.

The Glycemic Index is a general guide rather than an absolute reference, and is often reported as a range rather than a fixed number. While the Glycemic Index suggests a certain food's effect on our system, it is influenced by other foods already in our system and our individual metabolic rate (we all metabolize things differently). Each of us will have a different glycemic response to a food.

Glycemic comparisons
(Relative comparisons of sweeteners using glucose as 100 points; foods less the 55 are considered low glycemic)

Wholesome Sweeteners Blue Agave nectars have a glycemic index of about 39. It will vary from person to person. It depends on how each of us metabolizes it, and on other foods consumed at the same time.

Wholesome's agave nectars have been tested by an independent glycemic index lab. The GI testing laboratory has taken due care to ensure the accuracy of the results provided in this report. It's important to remember that the results of glycemic response tests in human subjects are subject to biological variability and may vary depending on the methods used. Thus, these results may not be able to be reproduced either by the GI testing lab or by others.

While our methods of making sugar are shaped by social and environmental values, and a genuine concern for the long term health of the planet, even organic sugar is still nearly 99.5% sucrose.

Sucanat, Wholesome's whole cane sugar, contains all of the cane's natural molasses. It has a slightly lower level of sucrose in each granule and more of molasses' vitamins and minerals.

Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Blue Agave and Organic Raw Blue Agave nectars are primarily naturally occuring fructose and so have a glycemic index of 39 or less. Please read more about fructose in other FAQs.

Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Zero is a sugar substitute made from sugar, but it has zero calories, zero glycemic index and zero artificial ingredients. It's organic Erythritol, a compound found naturally in many fruits and vegetables, and fermented foods like cheeses, soy sauces, and even some wines and beers. Our bodies even produce it naturally. But because our bodies don't have the enzymes necessary to digest Erythritol, is sweetens gently, then passes through our systems. Most people find it to be highly digestible.

(Research is on-going into  fructose's effect on triglyceride levels, especially among diabetics. Please see the American Diabetes Association's web site, www.diabetes.org, for more information). 

AZPA also buys organic sugar cane from local farmers and, as demand for organic sugar increases, more and more local farmers are receiving training and help from AZPA and are converting to organic farming practices.  Presently the split is approximately 20% of the cane is being sourced from AZPA's own plantations and 80% from local independent growers.  AZPA funds a school for all employees' children, provides medical facilities which include a full, qualified doctor, and workers with over five years of service are awarded a plot of land and an interest-free loan with which to build a home.

Like our company, AZPA sees the importance of environmental quality.  For example, the remnants of the sugar cane, called "bagasse", after the juice has been extracted, is used as the main fuel that fires the ovens and provides the entire electricity requirements of the mill and offices.  The whole production process for our organic sugar cane is totally self-sufficient!  Excess bagasse is also used in the fields as an organic fertilizer and weed suppressant.  The water, containing the mud and sediment washed from the cane, is dredged, the "sludge" used as a natural fertilizer and the clean water returned to the Tebicuarymi River.  The mill's sizeable reforestation program has planted over 800 hectares with indigenous trees which generates additional employment opportunities for local agricultural workers during the traditionally quieter months in the year.  The economic development of 16 local towns, all within a 60 km radius, are largely dependent on the prosperity of the mill.  AZPA has also built and now maintains 400 km of local roads in their province.

Regular Corn Syrup is a blend of Glucose predominantly, Fructose, and other sugars all manufactured from corn.

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is very similar but as the name suggests contains a higher proportion Fructose, though it is still predominantly Glucose. It is glucose that significantly raises blood sugar levels. However, HFCS, legally just to make for further confusion, for international tariff purposes, it is described as Glucose Syrup.

The reason for the addition of the fructose to Light Corn Syrup is that it makes the product lighter, sweeter and less viscose so it is actually pourable as a retail product. Straight corn syrup is very thick and glutinous.

Wholesome's Organic Corn Syrup and Organic Pancake & Waffle Syrup are both made from GMO-free organic corn grown and processed in Europe. While the main ingredient, organic glucose syrup made from corn is similar in composition to conventional high fructose corn syrup, but it is in the same way that organic evaporated cane juice is similar to refined sugar. Organic glucose syrup has been produced by an enzymatic organically approved process as opposed to the intense chemical process that is used in regular corn syrup and HFCS production.

Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Light Corn Syrup is offered as an alternative to the conventional retail Light Corn Syrup products. It is an artisan baking product and pour-over syrup. Our Organic Light Corn Syrup is 50/50 blend of Organic Corn Syrup and Organic Glucose Syrup with Organic Vanilla and a tiny amount of salt. The product is designed to offer an organic alternative to a traditional baking item to meet consumer demand and requests. We feel Wholesome Sweeteners product not only achieves that but also achieves our benchmark for products bearing the Wholesome name in that it is actually a far superior quality product to the conventional product that is currently being marketed. Just taste it against the conventional brand-leading Karo product and you can clearly taste the quality difference.

However, in the 1960s, with the advent of new laboratory processes, food scientists found a way to convert the glucose molecules in inexpensive and abundant corn syrup into fructose. Standard High Fructose Corn Syrup is about 53% glucose and 42% fructose. Manufacturer’s grade HFCS (what goes into soft drinks, etc.) is 25% glucose with much as 75% converted to fructose.

Sucanat (DEHYDRATED cane juice) is produced from a pure cane sugar juice, which naturally contains about 13% molasses and 87% sugar. Through dehydration and aeration (hand-paddling, actually), a granular, dry, free-flowing brown sugar is produced which contains all of the molasses inherent in cane juice. It is a source of iron, calcium, potassium, B vitamins and chromium. Nothing is added and nothing is removed.
 
Wholesome's other sugars (Fair Trade Organic Sugar, Organic Turbinado, Fair Trade Organic Light and Dark Brown Sugars and Powdered Sugar, as well as Fair Trade natural Cane Sugar and Fair Trade Raw Cane Sugar) are all made from EVAPORATED cane juice and are produced by evaporation then crystallization. The juice is spun in a turbine (hence "Turbinado"), which separates the majority of molasses from the sugar crystals. The product is therefore much lighter in color and flavor and better for more sensitive applications where a molasses flavor is undesirable. As compared to the 13% of molasses present in Sucanat, Evaporated Cane Juice has a range of 0.2%-2% molasses.
 
The difference in our Evaporated Cane Juice products is in crystal size and molasses content. Turbinado (also called Demerara-style or Raw sugar) is a large, golden crunchy crystal, while the powdered sugar is a finely ground Evaporated Cane Juice sugar with 3% organic tapioca starch added to prevent caking). The Organic Sugar is a one-for-one replacement for refined white sugar and the brown sugars are both organic sugar with varying influences of molasses.

Wholesome's Executive and Operations teams routinely visit the our producers fields and mills, watching as it is planted, harvested and processed. In addition to regular inspections by Quality Assurance International and Fair Trade Labelling Organizations, Wholesome's Chief Operating Officer and Corporate Quality Assurance Manager have audited cooperatives, farms and the processes.

Source:  The Organic Trade Association

It depends on the region, but organically grown sugar cane yields tend to be about 70-80% of conventional cane cultivation and the subsequent sugar yield is about 90%.

In some situations, however, organic sugar will perform just a little differently than its refined counterparts, after all, we're working with nature, and variety is one of nature's key features. While every crystal of conventionally refined sugar is essentially an exact replica of every other crystal, Wholesome Sweeteners organic, unrefined sugars are produced within a limited range of sizes and colors.

Source:  The Organic Trade Association

Here are a couple of special considerations when replacing sugar with Blue Agave in a recipe:

• As a first recommendation, we suggest you approach it as play ... (food is so much fun!)
• Begin by replacing sugar with Blue Agave measure for measure, then adjust accordingly according to your own sweet sensibilities.
• Because Blue Agave's sweetness dissipates quickly, you might consider adding dried fruit or chocolate to a recipe to extend the sweet taste without significantly increasing the glycemic index of the recipe.
• Because Blue Agave adds liquid to a recipe, we suggest that you reduce other liquids in  the recipe by as much as 30%.
• Finally, because Blue Agave caramelizes at a much lower temperature than regular sugar, we suggest a lower and slower approach to baking: set the oven temperature 15°-25°  lower than called for in a sugar recipe, and bake a bit slower ... leave it in longer.
  
  While we recommend storing Organic Blue Agave syrup with the lid on and in a dark cool environment, refrigeration is optional.  The minimum shelf life is 2 years after opening, but we have NEVER met anyone who needed to test that limit. It's too delicious to last that long!

Source:  The Organic Trade Association

Source:  The Organic Trade Association

Source:  The Organic Trade Assocation

Source:  The Organic Trade Association

Turbinado is also known in Europe as "Demerara," so named for the Demerara River in Guyana where it was first made.

Barbados, or Light, Molasses contains a higher concentration of sucrose.

(Note: Sugar beet molasses is unpalatable to humans--it is very bitter--and is mostly used as cattle feed.)

When perfectly matured, the cane is hand-cut by machete-wielding farmers. They cut the cane close to the ground, just above the root stalk, then trim the leaves from the cane stalk and let the leaves lie fallow in the field, decomposing naturally. In so doing, the farmers help restore nutrients to the soil, reduce erosion and prevent unwelcomed weeds from taking hold.

In conventional cane harvesting operations, the fields are burned before harvesting to make it easier for the fossil-fuel burning harvesting machines to plow through the fields. The fires, often covering vast acreages, burn the canes' leaves, contribute to air pollution and remove wildlife cover in the process.

The maximum processing temperature for any of the organic crystalline sugars would be around 120º Centigrade.

It varies. There are many factors that go into calculating the per hectare yield of organically grown sugar cane. The weather, the soil conditions and the "seed stock" all play a part. In general, organic yields are less per hectare than conventionally grown, where production is manipulated, if you will, by the application of  herbicides, pesticides, defoliants.

On average, a single acre hectare can produce about 90 metric tons of organic cane or 9 metric tons of organic sugar. (A "metric ton" is an industrial description for sugar weight; a metric ton weighs about 2205 pounds). 

In 2001, Wholesome Sweeteners' first year of operation under the Billington's/Imperial Sugar partnership, we bought 3,000 metric tons of organic sugar from Paraguayan farmers. In 2010, Wholesome bought nearly 40,000 metric tons of organic sugar from Paraguay. More than an increase in sugar demand and production, these numbers reflect a more than 10-fold increase in organic cane cultivation in Paraguay alone--from 445 hectares  to 4445 hectares.

Molasses, the natural by-product of cane sugar, is one of those foods that our grandmothers and their mothers loved--not necessarily for its flavor, but for the benefits it brought to our bodies. In the days before multi-vitamins, molasses was treasured for its nutritional values.

High concentration of minerals:
•Iron: Iron carries oxygen from our lungs to our tissues in the form of hemoglobin. (Hemoglobin is found in red blood cells). Iron also makes up part of many proteins in the body and facilitates enzyme reactions in various tissues.
•Potassium: Potassium helps our bodies metabolize carbohydrates and synthesize protein from amino acids. It's essential for the proper function of all cells, tissues, and organs, and it's necessary for the building of muscle and for normal body growth.  
•Calcium: Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body, has several important functions. Calcium is needed for muscle contraction, blood vessel contraction and expansion, the secretion of hormones and enzymes, and sending messages through the nervous system. A constant level of calcium is maintained in body fluid and tissues so that these vital body processes function efficiently. More than 99% of total body calcium is stored in the bones and teeth where it functions to support their structure, the remaining 1% is found throughout the body in blood, muscle, and the fluid between cells. 
 
And B Vitamins:
•Thiamin (B1): Thiamine helps the body cells convert carbohydrates into energy and is essential for the functioning of the heart, muscles and nervous system.
•Riboflavin (B2): Riboflavin is important for body growth and red blood cell production and helps in releasing energy from carbohydrates.
•Niacin (B3): Niacin helps the digestive system, skin, and nerves. It is also important for the conversion of food to energy.
•B6: Vitamin B6 helps the immune system produce antibodies that help fight many diseases. Vitamin B6 helps maintain normal nerve function and form red blood cells. The body uses it to help break down proteins. The more protein you eat, the more vitamin B6 you need.
•Folate (B9): Folic acid works along with vitamin B12 and vitamin C to help the body break down, use, and create new proteins. The vitamin helps form red blood cells and helps produce DNA, the building block of the human body, which carries genetic information. Folic acid also helps tissues grow and cells work. Taking the right amount of folic acid before and during pregnancy helps prevent certain birth defects, including spina bifida.
 
And finally, traces of …
•Chromium: Chromium is important in the metabolism of fats and carbohydrates. Chromium stimulates fatty acid and cholesterol synthesis, which are important for brain function and other body processes. It activates several enzymes, which are needed to drive numerous chemical reactions necessary to life. Chromium is also important in insulin metabolism.
•Zinc: Zinc is needed for the body's defensive system to properly work. It plays a role in cell division, cell growth, wound healing, and the break down of carbohydrates. Zinc is also needed for the senses of smell and taste.
•Copper: Copper, along with iron, helps in the formation of red blood cells. It also helps in keeping the blood vessels, nerves, immune system, and bones healthy.

The Glycemic Load (GL) provides a structure for ranking a food portion's carbohydrate content based on the portion size and the food's Glycemic Index (GI). The GL is perhaps a more useful measure of a food's glycemic impact than the GI. One of the problems with the GI is that it's quantitative rather than qualitative. A single piece of hard candy, even though the candy ranks high on the GI, will have little effect on our blood sugar.

The GI values are determined experimentally, by feeding a very small test group (generally just 10 individuals) a fixed portion of the food and measuring their blood sugar response at specific intervals of time. Individual responses vary widely, as do processing and preparation methods. In the case of organic foods, because the products are not refined, a fixed GI is even more challenging to determine. Because of this, glycemic indexes are often described as a range, as in "<39". It's inexact and very general. Low GI foods have a rating of less than 55, while medium GI foods are 56-69 and high have a rating of 70 or more. When counting Glycemic Loads, less than 10 is low, 11 to 19 is medium and 20 or more is high.

Our glycemic responses are determined by both the type of carbohydrate and the amount consumed. By calculating the GI and the net carbs (the total carbs minus dietary fiber), you can calculate the Glycemic Load: GL=GI/100 x Net Carbs. Given this, with a GI of 39 or less and net carbs per tablespoon of 16, the Glycemic Load of Organic Blue Agave is 6.24 (.39x16).

Compare the Glycemic Indexes* and Loads of other foods we know and love:

Source: nutritiondata.com. For more information on the limitations of the Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load, please visit NutritionData.com.

As you can see, some foods, in spite of their high GI, have a low glycemic impact on our systems when a regular serving is enjoyed; similarly, a low GI food high in carbs can have a higher overall glycemic impact on our bodies. As with all things, moderation is a very good plan.

* DISCLAIMER: The GI testing laboratory has taken due care to ensure the accuracy of the results provided in this report. However, the results of glycemic response tests in human subjects are subject to biological variability and may vary depending on the methods used. Thus, these results may not be able to be reproduced either by the GI testing lab or by others.

Yes it is. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has its own set of rules and standards by which it approves foods for use as food ingredients or additives. GRAS is a term which stands for "generally regarded as safe."  In 2001, the FDA ruled that Erythritol was "GRAS"--generally recognized as safe based on a daily intake of 1 gram per every 1 kilogram of weight (or approximately one teaspoon for every 11 pounds of weight).

Wholesome Sweeteners and Billington's products are indeed gluten-free. Please visit our Gluten Free Assurance for a complete listing.

It's a simple, succulent sweetener. And as with any sweetener, moderation is critical. Because it's primarily fructose, a little blue agave nectar goes a long way; remember, fructose is 25% sweeter than sugar so you don't need as much to attain sugar's sweetness. It's a slowly-metabolizing sweetener, which means that it won't spike your blood sugar. A recommended serving size of blue agave is just 1 tablespoon (21g), at 60 calories per serving.

Wholesome Sweeteners Fair Trade Certified Organic Honey is collected by  Fair Trade Certified Beekeeper Cooperatives in Southern Mexico (Chiapas and the Yucatan). Wholesome pays a fair price so beekeepers can keep their land, send their kids to school, build thriving communities and continue their traditions.  

What makes honey organic?
The hives are isolated deep within organic perimeters. Bees forage only on native wildflowers within a 4-mile radius from their hive. They are many miles from possible contaminants such as herbicides, pesticides, synthetic fertilizers and genetically modified (GMO)plants.  
 
By protecting the hives and forage areas, Fair Trade encourages biodiversity and helps the forests thrive, too. 
 

RAW Honey is honey straight from the hive. Though it's filtered and creamed, it's never heated above ambient temperature. It has a smooth, spreadable texture, and many natural benefits ...

• Catalase enzymes which help the body fight free radicals.
• Flavanoids which help the body attack allergens, viruses, and carcinogens. (Many believe that eating honey from local sources or honey made by bees browing similar plant species can help relieve plant-based allergies.)
• Vitamins and minerals including traces of riboflavin(B12), niacin(B3), pantothenic acid(B5), vitamin B6, folate(B9), vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc.
• And antibacterial properties that soothe and help heal burns, abrasions and other skin conditions when used as a topical treatment. (Honey contains natural hydrogen peroxide. Many people keep a jar in the medicine cabinet as well as the kitchen!)