"Big Sugar" Investigative Podcast Premieres: No Sweetness Here

We've all heard about the dangers of Big Tech. In fact, we've witnessed the negative impact the tech monopoly can have on us -- privacy intrusions, misinformation ran wild, deceptive marketing, and fixed prices.

But how much do you know about Big Sugar? Did you know that Christopher Columbus brought sugar cane to the Caribbean (Hispaniola) in 1501? In his first voyage, the first indigenous people who Columbus encountered in 1492 were the Lucayans in the Bahamas. However, only 25 years after his original landing, the Lucayan population had been completely decimated by disease and the harsh and extensive repercussions of slavery, specifically to harvest sugar cane.

The United States makes about nine million tons of sugar annually, ranking it sixth in global production. The United States sugar industry receives as much as $4 billion in annual subsidies in the form of price supports, guaranteed crop loans, tariffs and regulated imports of foreign sugar, which by some estimates is about half the price per pound of domestic sugar. Louisiana’s sugar-cane industry is by itself worth $3 billion, generating an estimated 16,400 jobs.

 Harvesting sugar cane is a dangerous job, both for the workers and the people who live near the sugar cane. Consider that even though the practice of burning sugarcane fields has been largely discontinued throughout the world because of concerns about air pollution, farmers still do it in Florida’s main sugar-producing region known as the Glades. Producers there say continuing the traditional practice is necessary to prevent harvesting accidents and keep costs down.

Residents around cane fields complain that smoke often impacts sensitive areas like schools and hospitals. On burning days in the fall and winter, the air fills with ash the residents refer to as “black snow.”

For communities in the Glades, cane season means an increase in asthma attacks, sinus issues and other breathing problems. Local health care providers are also well aware of the effects of the “black snow” and see a 35 percent uptick in respiratory-related hospital visits when cane is burning.

That's why IHeartPodcasts and Imagine Entertainment's Big Sugar podcast, which debuted June 20, is a must-listen. I've listened to the first episode titled, "Blood, Sweat, and Tears," and it's not marketing hyperbole to claim that this is a tale of corruption, exploitation, and greed.

Last week, Imagine Entertainment President Justin Wilkes announced a new slate of shows from their audio division in collaboration with iHeartPodcasts. The robust lineup of shows is the first to emerge from the slate deal formed between Imagine and iHeartMedia. Imagine Audio, headed up by Kara Welker, will release six innovative new podcast series, produced by Nathan Kloke and co-produced by iHeartPodcasts.

 Big Sugar is a true-crime story unlike any other that centers on the epic legal battle pitting the multimillion-dollar sugar industry against the migrant laborers who harvest sugarcane, while revealing corporate malfeasance, human rights violations, DC lobbying, nutrition downfalls and the destruction of the environment. Relentless journalists and lawyers uncover a complex network of relationships, policies and transactions involving the highest levels of government and the communities where we live. 

  Host Celeste Headlee is an award-winning, internationally recognized journalist and author (“Speaking of Race: Why Everyone Needs to Talk About Race”) who has hosted shows for NPR, WNYC and PBS. Her skills as an interviewer and passion for the themes in the series will engage listeners everywhere.

Headlee is terrific as the host, narrator, and storyteller. Her words bring alive the suffering of the workers and provoke outrage toward the sugar companies.

  Big Sugar is now available, with new episodes launching every Tuesday.

Listen to episode one here.

Imagine’s productions have been honored with more than 60 prestigious awards, including 47 Academy Award nominations, and 228 Emmy® award nominations. Past productions include the Academy Award Best Picture winner "A Beautiful Mind", as well as Grammy Award Best Film winner "The Beatles: Eight Days A Week – The Touring Years." Recent productions include the critically-acclaimed film "Thirteen Lives" directed by Ron Howard.