hob wrote:
>
> I realize there has been a lot of "downsizing" of the quantity
> without any commensurate lowering of price (a lot of candy bars
> put out in new displays in the past few weeks, e.g., ), but when
> did the "old standards" like sugar make that change?
>
> (FWIW 2 - It also looks like the price per pound of sugar is up
> almost 100% over last year.)

The sugar industry is a terrible racket, maintained
by large donations to corrupt politicians. You may
pay double what you did last year, but people outside
the U.S. pay less than half for the same thing.

Quoting from this article:
http://www.csmonitor.com/2002/0408/p01s02-usec.htm

"Here in the US, consumers – including candymakers – pay
at least twice the world-market price. That's why
America's soft-drink makers long ago shifted from sugar
to corn syrup to sweeten their beverages.
Candymakers usually can't make that change,
especially in high-sugar-content hard candy."

Quoting from this article:
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0320-02.htm

"Kraft Foods Inc. is closing the plant and moving its
operations to Canada, where sugar is half the price
and its work force will be nonunion. The move will
wipe out 600 union jobs that pay an average of $15.50
an hour."