Big Sugar's biggest allies in the US were, historically, the United States senators from Hawaii. To buy them off, Congress long ago applied nasty import duties

Big Sugar's biggest allies in the US were, historically, the United States senators from Hawaii. To buy them off, Congress long ago applied nasty import duties on the substance, tripling the price of sugar in the US and giving rise to the substitute we all know and love to hate, high fructose corn syrup. (Not that sugar is actually healthier for you at all, mind you.) It looks like they might actually be getting out of the business, though. Good luck on replacing the corn syrup now that the Midwestern corn states are their own lobby...