Beet is a member of the Amaranthaceae family (subfamily Chenopodiaceae) and has been grown as a vegetable for over 2000 years. It was first grown in Europe as an agricultural crop, in the form of fodder beet (Beta vulgaris), in the 17th century. 1 Both the tops and roots of the beet were used mainly as fodder for cattle in France and Germany. Sugar beet was selected from fodder beet during the latter part of the 18th century. In central Europe, white-fleshed fodder beet varieties were cultivated for storage and use during the winter because they tended to have a slightly higher sugar content than other varieties. It was from these white-fleshed fodder beet that sugar beet varieties were eventually bred. An important milestone in the development of sugar beet occurred in the middle of the 18th century when Marggraf demonstrated that sugar crystals, identical to those from cane sugar, could be produced from beet. 2 Achard, a student of Marggraf, took the work further, publishing his results in 1799. 3 Achard then successfully appealed to the King of Prussia for funding to further his work. The money was used to purchase an estate at Cunern in Silesia and to construct the world's first sugar beet factory in 1801. Around 250 t of beet were processed in the first campaign that year. Whilst only a small quantity of sugar was extracted (4% of the roots' fresh weight), it demonstrated that sugar production on a large scale was possible. This caused concern in England and its colonies, where the cane producers and trading firms realised RSC Energy and Environment Series No. 3 Energy Crops Edited