A chromium-mediated novel synthesis of carbohydrate-derived di- and trisubstituted (E)-伪,尾-unsaturated esters or amides from a range of dichloroesters or amides and a variety of sugar aldehydes is reported. The process took place with total stereoselectivity and in high yields. A mechanism based on a sequential chromium-promoted aldol-type reaction and a completely stereoselective 尾-elimination reaction is proposed to explain these results.