Interestingly, sugar was originally added to mass-produced Ketchup to act as a preservative. I'm not sure if that was the only reason, mind you, but it was a pa

Interestingly, sugar was originally added to mass-produced Ketchup to act as a preservative. I'm not sure if that was the only reason, mind you, but it was a part of it. At the beginning of the 20th century there was a lot of public outcry about the use of preservatives in various food items. I actually wouldn't be surprised if a lot of food manufacturers switched from using some of those chemical preservatives like sodium benzoate to sugar to avoid some of that public scrutiny, and kept using it to improve the flavor. Which of course raises a question. I suspect most food products could cut back on the majority of the added sugar and be fine, but for some of those food products some portion of that sugar is necessary as a preservative. So, in those cases, would the public prefer to have some added sugar, a more "artificial" preservative like nitrates, another preservation method (freezing, canning, pickling, etc.), or accept food products that will have a much shorter shelf life?