The dark history of sugar is one of exploitation: of slaves and workers, of the environment and of the consumer.

Join food historian and evolutionary biologist Dr Neil Buttery as he takes us on a journey into the sickly stories of a product that has – whether we like it or not – become firmly part of our cultural fabric.

Neil will explore the adaptive reasons why the human species has such a sweet tooth, and why we have gone to great lengths to get hold of sugar in large amounts – at whatever the cost to ourselves, to others, and the environment.

Sugar is energy, and honey is the most concentrated form of sugar that occurs naturally. Neil will begin by telling us about the honey hunting practices of our ancient ancestors. The payoffs of getting hold of the stuff were well worth it, in a world where calories were hard to find.

He will also look at the origin of sugarcane, 10,000 years ago, in Papua New Guinea, and highlight the first people to make sugar as a crystalline product. He will explain how sugar came to Europe in the Middle Ages and discuss its power as a status symbol in the feasts and rituals of the wealthy.

The colonisation of the New World revived the sugar industry just as it threatened to peter out, and sugar production took a horrific turn as producers chose to exploit slave labour for their own means. First, it was the indigenous peoples of the Americas, and then Africans, via the hideous transatlantic slave trade.

As sugar prices dropped markedly in the 19th century – and therefore profit margins along with it – sugar, confectionary and soda drinks companies exploited the consumer to create demand. It is now very clear what the adverse effects of sugar consumption are, and Neil will review some of the ways governments have attempted to address this. He will highlight how sugar, soda and confectionery companies have tried to dodge legislation. From using fat as a scapegoat to shrinkflation.

Wars have been fought over it and it is responsible for what is potentially to be the planet’s greatest health crisis. This talk promises an enlightening if uncomfortable explanation of how that came to be so.