Sugar beet, Beta vulgaris

The history of sugar beet in Europe has been strongly influenced by politics. In the 19th century, the import of cheaper cane sugar from the colonies was blocked and so sugar beet cultivation really flourished under Napoleon’s rule in the 19th century.

The sugar-rich relative of the beetroot

Sugar beet is a biennial plant which, like beetroot, chard or fodder beet, is descended from the wild form ‘common beet’. It belongs to the goosefoot family and is native to the Mediterranean region and the North Sea coast. In its first year, the sugar beet can grow half a meter high. It forms a leaf rosette with broad leaves and a fleshy turnip underground, which can weigh up to three kilograms. It begins to flower in its second year and stretches its inflorescence up to two meters towards the sky. The sugar beet is a deep-rooted plant and can penetrate deep layers of soil.

A more or less sweet story

Sugar beet was bred from fodder beet to increase its sugar content. In 1796, the chemist Franz Carl Achard produced the world’s first beet sugar from a beetroot in Kaulsdorf near Berlin. In 1801, the first sugar beet factory for the production of industrial sugar opened in Konary in what is now Poland.

In Europe, sugar beet cultivation flourished particularly under Napoleon’s rule in the 19th century. He imposed a continental blockade and the sea routes from England were cut. The English navy in turn blocked the sea routes from the French colonies and thus also the import of cheap cane sugar from the Caribbean. The continuing hunger for sugar led to an increase in the cultivation of sugar beet in Europe. More and more sugar beet factories were built. Even after the end of Napoleon’s reign, sugar beet remained a political issue.

In order to protect European sugar production, it has been protected by the so-called Sugar Protocol since the 1970s. This bilateral trade agreement between the EU and some of the ACP countries (an organization of 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states) was primarily aimed at preserving European jobs and independence from foreign producers. There were fixed EU-wide quotas for the production of sugar from sugar beet, which kept production and prices stable. The World Trade Organization (WTO) criticized the discrimination against non-European producers and the restriction of international competition and ordered a gradual opening of the European market in 2004/5. The export of sugar from the EU was limited to 1.4 million tons per year and at the same time an import exemption for the poorest sugar exporting countries was determined in order to support their development. The sugar protocol expired at the end of 2017. Since then, the EU internal market has been largely deregulated – meaning that supply and demand now determine production. The EU also imposes high protective tariffs on imported sugar, thereby ‘protecting’ the cultivation and competitiveness of sugar beet within the EU. In 2025, the import duty on sugar was €41.90 per 100 kg of sugar. Today, sugar beet is the most sugar-rich crop in Europe, but is also grown in North America, North Africa and parts of Asia.

It’s all sugar

The main reason for growing sugar beet is to produce granulated sugar. Beet consists of around 20 percent sugar and, together with sugar cane, tops the list of crops with the highest sugar content. By comparison, pears contain just under 10 percent sugar.

To extract sugar from the white beets, they are chopped up and evaporated. The resulting juice is thickened until a viscous dark brown sugar solution is produced. The sugar is crystallised in further steps. The desugared beet pulp is used as animal feed for cattle, pigs, horses and sheep. The use of sugar beet in bioethanol and biogas production is also becoming increasingly important.

Sugar has become an integral part of our eating habits and is linked to many common diseases. Diseases such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, heart disease, gout and dental problems are potentially promoted by increased sugar consumption. It is even associated with some types of cancer. However, keeping your sugar intake to a minimum is not easy. Many products in the supermarket contain high amounts of added sugar, as it is cheap and enhances the taste. So always look carefully or make your own food: Despite what the sugar industry claims, sugar is harmful to health. Whereas natural sugar, such as that found in fruit, vegetables or whole foods, is important and healthy. In addition to the obvious things such as use in sweets, there is also a lot of added sugar in processed foods such as ketchup, ready-made sauces, frozen pizzas, fruit yogurts, etc. This means that the sugar limit often goes unnoticed. This means that the sugar limit is often exceeded unnoticed – without any soft drinks, ice cream or chocolate. As a result, the risk of developing obesity, fatty liver, diabetes and, indirectly, various types of cancer – and a. Dental caries is also promoted by sugar consumption.

Soil is lost

Sugar beet grows very slowly, especially at the beginning, and is sensitive to weeds. For this reason, sugar beet cultivation is highly susceptible to erosion. As there is a lot of bare soil around the small plants, which is not protected by leaves, a heavy downpour can lead to valuable soil being washed away and lost. Growing the beets in mulch, i.e. in a layer of organic material, can reduce the risk of soil loss due to wind or rain.

Sources

Dachverband Norddeutscher Zuckerrübenbauer e.V. Link.
Pflanzenforschung.de: Sugar beet. Link.
Oekolandbau.de: Organic sugar beet cultivation. Link.
NZZ: The career of a political tuber. Link.
Customs: Import duties on sugar and sugar products. Link.
FiBL: Organic sugar beet. Challenges and opportunities of cultivation. Link.
Deutsches Ärzteblatt: Influence of diet on health: The risks of sugar can be estimated for individual diseases. Link.