Peter Walsh Jr., age 12, of Westbrook, Me., for his question:

HOW IS SUGAR CANE PROCESSED?

Much of the world's sweet sugar comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets. Both are processed in much the same way.

After the cane is harvested, it is washed, shredded, squeezed, strained and mixed with lime. The lime mixes with impurities which either then settle to the bottom as sediment or rise to the top as scum. The impurities are then removed.

The remaining liquid is evaporated by boiling it under a partial vacuum until crystals of the desired size are produced. This material is then sent to a refinery and further impurities are removed. It's then packaged and shipped to markets all over the world.