I read this interesting New York Times article about an incipient resurgence of sugar use in the U.S.. Consumers have been demanding it and some food manufacturers have been complying.
Above is a trailer for the documentary The Price Of Sugar narrated by the late Paul Newman. I saw it about 2 years ago.
If you are the kind of person who buys fair trade coffee, you might want to think twice before using more sugar. Basically, sugar makes it to American shelves via a chain of defacto modern day slavery.