4. Conclusion

Sugar is ubiquitous in our diet, which is its main use. Nevertheless, while its applications are many and varied, due to its many functionalities, they are increasingly extending beyond the food sector, notably through the manufacture of fuels and packaging materials described as biobased.

This is an important industrial sector for France, which is the world's leading producer of beet sugar. It generates sales of over 3.5 billion euros and employs nearly 45,000 people, with a largely positive foreign trade balance.

In the beet growing sector, research is ongoing, thanks to the AKER program, which began in 2012 and will continue until 2020. It involves 11 public and private partners, and some fifty researchers. Its overall aim is to improve sugar beet varieties and reduce the environmental impact of cultivation (fewer chemical inputs), while...