SUGAR AND CAPITALISM

“Sugar production in the New World was essential to the rise of capitalism. Rather than simply satisfying luxury consumption, a lot of the sugar produced under slavery in the Caribbean found its way into the daily diet of the growing European proletariat. With many peasants leaving the country-side to seek jobs in the cities, there was an increased need for food production and a shrinking rural labor force. The need for more food was neither met by increased cereal production (which would have required substantial transformation in production techniques) nor was it met by increasing meat production (which was basically intended for the bourgeoisie). Rather, sugar became–and remains today– a substitute for real food. Capable of producing increased energy output at the expense of long-term health, sugar is the opiate of the working class under capitalism.” – Susan Willis