The rise of synthetic chemicals (especially sweeteners such as Neotame which is 30,000 times stronger than sugar by volume) are being used by an increasing number of food manufactures as a cheaper ingredient alternative, often promoted as "healthy". Apart from advancing the concept of synthetic food with zero nutritional value this impacts greatly on the agrarian based economies of a range of poorer countries. By using a synthesised industrial input rather the organic "original" ingredient industries, such as sugar cane production, which several of the poorer nations participate in are being decimated with no possibility of restructing supply for synthetics. Is there no way that governments can ban synthetic foodstuffs and give create an honest "by product of the legistlation" assistence to these countries. Apart from the fact that sugar cane production is essential for the emerging biofuels industry (likley to be important if fossil fuels cant clean up their act in a hurry) it seems ridiculous that the consumer of products from soft drinks to biscuits should be ripped off with imitation food. One the sugar industry collapses the infrastructure costs of re-establishing it for any biofuels future will be too great for many communities to invest in further dienfranchising them from the revenue stream. A ban on synthetic sweeteners seems to be the best way to help correct the world sugar market inequality caused by the massive American subsidies for this product which has driven the price for sugar below the cost of production in almost all countries.