Big Sugar

Big Sugar

Imagine Audio is your destination for the highest quality audio documentaries. Our latest show, 'Peter and the Acid King' is out now. Or check out Big Sugar further down the feed. Come explore the secretive, multi-billion dollar sugar industry and the epic court battle that exposes how sugar is grown, cultivated and sold. Big Sugar is a deep dive into the inner workings of the industry. Hear firsthand from the workers, lawyers and journalists exposing the lies, exploitation and ultimately the truth. We travel from the Oval Office to the nightclubs of Havana to the sugarcane fields of Florida. This is a story of our time, an untold story that focuses on human rights, lobbying, nutrition and the environment. Hosted by Celeste Headlee.

Episodes

June 13, 2023 2 mins

Join host Celeste Headlee for a deep dive into the inner workings of the multi-billion dollar sugar industry.

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Meet Victor and Selvin, who initially feel lucky to travel from Jamaica to Florida to cut sugarcane. The experiences of cane cutters like them lead two ambitious journalists to try and uncover the devastating truth about the labor supporting the American sugar industry.

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June 27, 2023 44 mins

Tensions between workers and a sugarcane farm erupt into violence. A ragtag group of lawyers seek justice for thousands of sugarcane cutters who have allegedly been underpaid for their grueling labor.

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July 5, 2023 39 mins

The lawyers gather evidence as they prepare to take on the biggest players in the sugar industry. Tens of millions of dollars are at stake, but who are they really up against?

 

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July 11, 2023 39 mins

We travel to 1950’s Cuba to meet the Fanjul family, sugar barons whose experiences with sugar, Castro and the Tropicana nightclub shine a light on where this story really begins.

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July 18, 2023 43 mins

Host Celeste Headlee goes on the hunt for the Fanjul brothers in Palm Beach, Florida and uncovers an even more devastating truth about the American sugar industry’s past. J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI and the movie The Godfather play a part in our story.

Correction: In 2021, the average price for cane sugar in the world market was $0.214 per pound. In the U.S., the price was $0.4759 per pound, more than twice the price. While the price mu...

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July 25, 2023 32 mins

The case continues as the lawyers seek justice for the cane cutters. The jury reaches a decision.

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August 1, 2023 49 mins

A healthcare worker discovers the shocking truth about the real PR power of Big Sugar.

Full statement from the Sugar Association: http://bit.ly/sugarassociation

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August 8, 2023 51 mins

It’s a battle for the heart of Florida and the soul of American politics as Celeste lays bare the environmental impact and political influence of the sugar industry.

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See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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August 15, 2023 58 mins

As the case finally wraps up, Celeste asks what happened to the cane cutters, and what happened to the lawyers whose lives were consumed by this case. And we ask what’s next for Big Sugar?

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