We are constantly warned about the dangers of sugar to our health.  Articles and television programmes everywhere highlight how much hidden sugar is contained in the food we eat, and demonstrate the growing “addiction” we are developing for this product.  Yes, it effects us personally, but out growing reliance upon sugar is having far graver consequences on the lives of indigenous communities worldwide.

A major new report by Oxfam has revealed that landmass equivalent to the size of Italy has been taken from indigenous communities around the globe by suppliers to some of the biggest names in the food and drinks industry, with Coca-Cola and PepsiCo particularly culpable.  The figures cited in this report indicate that there have been around 800 large-scale land deals by foreign investors since 2000, and these have resulted in 33,000,000 hectares of land coming into corporate ownership.

Brazil and Cambodia, along with other developing nations…