While the price of sugar itself may go up or down, there's one thing that doesn't change from year to year - food and candy manufacturers are paying a lot of taxes for their sugar.

In fact, they pay about twice what their competition is paying overseas.

The sugar tax is decades old, and was originally designed to support sugar beet and sugar cane farmers. Food and candy manufacturers in the U.S. pay around 60 cents per pound for the sweet stuff, while the international competition pays more like 35 cents per pound.

As a result, some big companies like Life Savers have left the United States, regardless of the economic incentives offered to keep them here. It just costs them too much to operate on U.S. soil.

According to Food Industry News, U.S. Senator Richard Lugar of Indiana wants to change this by doing away with the sugar tax. He is sponsoring the "Free Sugar Act," which would eliminate or drastically reduce the tax, and according to the Senator, create jobs.

The idea is, as more manufacturers come back, there will be more jobs in the candy manufacturing business. Food manufacturers could also afford to hire more people on if they weren't paying so much for their sugar.

Of course sugar beet and sugar cane farmers aren't pleased with the "Free Sugar Act," since it would eliminate a lot of their profits. They argue that their industries would lose a lot of employees without the tax.

But Senator Lugar argues that this tax, along with many other Federal programs, is outdated, and hurting the economy more than it is helping. In a time of slow economic growth and high unemployment, his campaign to end the sugar tax is looking sweeter by the day.

A group of Greek researchers recently published data from a new study on enzyme-treated oat and rice bran.

Their results indicate that the modified bran reduces staling, imparts improved nutritional characteristics, and increases the shelf life of baked goods by up to 60 percent over the non-modified bran containing products compared.

In addition, their panel of tasters also preferred the taste of the bran-enriched products over non-enriched.

The research group, from the National Technical University of Athens, published their results in the Journal of Food Science. The following is stated in their abstract:

The results of the study show the potential of using enzymes to modify underutilized food sources that can be properly incorporated in baked goods, improving their nutritional value, their quality characteristics, and providing longer shelf life.

The authors also state, The developed procedure and results can be utilized by the bakery industry to make high fiber and low cost bakery products with improved sensorial characteristics that are appealing to the consumers.

If you manufacture baked goods and are looking to enhance the taste and increase the shelf life of your products, these new findings may provide alternative to your current methods and food ingredients.

Do you use cocoa or cocoa replacement products in your food manufacturing recipes? Are you looking to cut recipe costs while maintaining taste, texture, and other requisite properties of your product?

Tate & Lyle, global provider of ingredients and solutions to the food and beverage industry, has a solution.

CARCAO™ is a new cocoa replacement product derived from carob powder.

According to their recent press release, CARCAO™ boasts similar coloring and taste to cocoa. It can be used as cocoa replacement in a myriad of food products such as cocoa drinks, ice cream, and baked goods with the advantage of cost savings.

By modifying temperature and roasting conditions, the color and flavor of CARCAO™ can be tailored to food manufacturer's requirements. These properties can range from light brown and sweet to dark brown and unsweet.

In light of volatile cocoa pricing and supply issues, many food manufacturers are looking for solutions which reduce the cocoa content of their products as a means of controlling recipe costs.

"We offer a complete and tailor made approach by producing bespoke CARCAO™ products and helping with the formulation of the recipe, ensuring that their products adopt a similar cocoa taste profile and look,

said Kerstin Werner, Head of Business Development, Tate & Lyle Food Systems.

Other Tate & Lyle Food Ingredients include SPLENDA®, industrial starches, starch-based speciality ingredients, corn-based bulk sweeteners, and fermentation products (primarily acidulants).

American consumers may be famous for their love of huge portions, but in the world of sweets a new trend is making waves: the mini treat.

Restaurants, cafes and specialty shops alike are cashing in on the mini treat. According to Hartman's director of Culinary insights, bite-sized treats are seen as a more guilt-free version of dessert.

Miniature cupcakes, cake-pops, and smaller servings of rich desserts like fudge are all examples of this new trend.

But don't cut your sugar budget just yet. This trend is also hot, and sales are high, so product is still moving off shelves. And even though buyers want smaller items, they don't want sugar-free treats, boring or commonplace desserts, or even those that make healthful claims.

The goal is to indulge….but just a little bit.

For food manufacturers who offer specialty treats this mini trend is a way to expand the old repertoire as well. Many consumers are willing to try a new flavor or food if it's only a small or bite-sized item. Since Americans are also big fans of change, combining new or exotic flavors with the mini treat trend could be a recipe for success.

So while sugar and flour purchases may stay the same, those seeking to cash-in on the mini treat trend will need to explore new options, different flavors, and perhaps interesting designs.