I found this interesting:
The two major types of refined sugar produced in the United States are beet sugar and cane sugar. Cane sugar is mainly grown in Florida, California, Louisiana, Hawaii and Texas. Beet sugar is grown in states located in the middle part of the U.S. Much sugar cane is actually imported.
According to beet sugar producers, beet and cane sugar are nutritionally equivalent and one cannot usually taste any difference between them. They are both composed of sucrose. The production and sale of each type of sugar are approximately equal (1).
Beet sugar refineries never use a bone char filter in processing because this type of sugar does not require an extensive decolourising procedure. Beet sugar can be refined with a pressure lead filter and an ion exchange system.
Beet sugar is popular in the Midwest because it is grown in this area. It is often labeled granulated sugar. Beet sugar is becoming more prevalent in the United States because the federal Government subsidises this industry.
Almost all cane sugar refineries require the use of a specific filter to decolourise the sugar and absorb inorganic material from it. This whitening process occurs towards the end of the sugar refining procedure. The filter may be either bone char, granulated carbon, or an ion exchange system. The granular carbon has a wood or coal base, and the ion exchange does not require the use of any animal products (2).
Domino, the largest sugar manufacturer in the U.S., uses bone char in the filtration process.
The cane refineries of Savannah Foods, the second largest sugar manufacturer, also use bone char.
California and Hawaian Sugar employs bone char filters in addition to granular carbon and ion exchange filters.
All these companies use the bone char in the refining process of brown sugar, powdered sugar (sugar mixed with corn starch) and white sugar.
Some cane refineries do not use bone char.
Refined Sugar, producers of Jack Frost Sugar, claim to use a granular carbon instead of bone char for economic reasons.
Florida Crystal sugar is a cane sugar which has not passed through the bone. Although Florida Crystals sugar has a straw colour, the impurities have been removed.
Some labels on sugar packages seem to indicate that the product is raw sugar, but all commercial sugar has undergone some refining. Genuine raw sugar cannot be bought and sold to the general consumer in the United States according to Food and Drug Administration regulations, as it is unfit for human consumption.
Turbinado sugar is a product which is made by separating raw cane sugar crystals in a centrifuge and washing them with steam. According to Domino Sugar, turbinado sugar does not pass through a bone char filter because its brown colour is desirable.
Refining sugar involves a series of steps, including clarification and an initial step where sugar syrup is added. The clarifying agents are calcium hydroxide, phosphoric acid and polyacrylomite. The sugar used in the initial syrup is an intermediate raw sugar which has not yet gone through the bone char filter.
If your sole reason for not consuming refined sugar is because of the use of bone char, then you should consider buying sugar which has not passed through the char.
Refined beet sugar, which never involves bone char, is often labeled fine granular sugar. C & H produces one sugar which has not gone through the bone char. It is labeled washed raw sugar. Cane sugar, which sometimes uses bone char, is distinguished as cane sugar on the package.
Here's the entire link:
http://www.ivu.org/news/2-97/sugar.html
